At a Glance:
- How Queens Native René Marsh’s Loss Shaped her latest children’s book
- Why nature is such a powerful teacher for kids
- How parents can use this story to talk about change and resilience
- What kids learn from watching the natural world
Books are written for countless reasons, out of adventure, need, memory, and emotion. And sometimes, they’re born from grief. As Maya Angelou once wrote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
Queens native René Marsh, daughter of Jamaican immigrants and a longtime journalist currently serving as a CNN national correspondent, brings this perspective to her new children’s book, The Nature of Change. It is a deeply personal story inspired by the loss of her young son to brain cancer and how Marsh turned to authoring children’s books as a way to create a soft place for families to land, especially during moments when life feels overwhelming or uncertain. In this book, she offers a grounded, deeply human perspective on resilience, identity, and finding steadiness in times of change.
The story follows siblings Kit and Amal as they navigate a new home that feels unfamiliar, and slowly discover comfort and courage through the quiet magic of the natural world. What I personally love about this book, The Nature of Change, which is written for kids ages 4–8, is that I can read it solo or read it to my almost-10-year-old, who is Autistic, as we both have challenges with transition.
I also appreciate that this book reminds me of the power of a great read and how one of my favorite books, one my third-grade teacher read to the class, has always stuck with me (for decades!) because of the power of thoughtful storytelling.
I touched base with Marsh, who shared about how grief shaped this book, why nature can be such a powerful teacher, and how parents can use stories like this one to open gentle conversations about big feelings, change, and resilience.
Finding Hope and Lessons in Life’s Changes
NYF: Your story is rooted in your own experience of loss. How did becoming a mother shape the way you wrote this book?
René Marsh: My motherhood journey involves becoming a first-time mom, experiencing the vulnerability and the deepest, purest love a mother can have for her child, and then losing it. It is a devastating story, but it is mine.
The loss of my son, Blake, to pediatric brain cancer led me to write my second children’s book. In the depths of my grief, I spent a great deal of time outdoors, just staring into the distance, struggling to make sense of the world. In those quiet moments, the nature around me began to illustrate some of life’s most profound lessons.
My grief had paralyzed me to make me still enough to notice and receive those lessons. I watched the trees lose everything in the fall, letting go with grace, but they remained standing tall despite their bare branches. I saw a cracked tree limb that had snapped under the weight of a massive snowstorm, dangling by a shred of bark for an entire season, only to my surprise sprout leaves the following spring. What looked broken and dead was still blooming; a reminder that even in a fractured state, growth is still possible.
Those lessons meant everything to me in those moments. They gave me the encouragement I needed. It was through that experience of loving, losing, and continuing to live that this book was born. My intention is to share those lessons with the younger generation, in hopes of better preparing them for life’s inevitable challenges.
I often say this book was inspired by my late son, but written for my now two-year-old daughter. The lessons within it are the ones any parent would want to make sure their child carries into the world. That journey of love and loss not only inspired but deeply shaped my second children’s book, The Nature of Change.
NYF: In The Nature of Change, Kit and Amal learn resilience through observing the natural world. Why do you think nature is such a great teacher?
René Marsh: I honestly never saw nature as a teacher until grief gave me a new perspective. I had always appreciated its beauty, but I can’t say I had ever truly taken the time to learn from it. Now I see how closely it mirrors our emotional lives, and that’s what makes nature such a great teacher.
I’ve spoken about the trees, but there is so much more. The persistence and consistency of the sun, the clouds that get pushed and carried by the wind. Together, they illustrate something profound: life is part consistency, part surrender. Knowing how to move between those two states is essential.
There is so much wisdom surrounding us, if only we slow down enough to notice.
NYF: As a mom myself with a 7-year age gap, the youngest high on the ASD spectrum and the other a teenager, transitions are big in our home. How can parents use this book to support siblings who process change in their own unique ways?
René Marsh: This book is a starting point for conversations about navigating big change, including the kind of change that is unwanted. The best way to teach children abstract concepts like hope and resilience is through metaphor. When we engage kids visually and symbolically, we help them grasp lessons that can stay with them for a lifetime. Rather than over-explaining resilience, we can point to something tangible from the story. For example, the spider in the book isn’t afraid to start over. Instead of delivering a long explanation about perseverance, you can simply say, “Remember the spider.” In that moment, resilience becomes something they can see and understand. They recognize that they can rebuild, too.
NYF: So many families today are navigating big life shifts- what are some gentle ways you hope this book helps parents start conversations that can otherwise feel overwhelming?
René Marsh: Whether it’s the trees, the spider, or the morning glories in this book, I hope these metaphors for hope, resilience, and determination give children something tangible to hold on to; a visual they can return to when they need courage and strength.
NYF: Your book encourages slowing down and being present in nature. What are some simple ways parents can bring those calming, grounding moments into everyday life?
René Marsh: After reading “The Nature of Change,” encourage your child to look for their own lessons in nature. By simply asking ‘What did nature teach you today?’ it builds focus, intention, and a deeper appreciation for the outdoors.
To extend the experience, there is also a free downloadable journal on my website, renemarsh.com, with guided prompts that invite children to slow down, observe, and reflect. For example:
The wind changes all the time. It can move fast, it can move slow. It reminds us that change is ok. It’s a part of life. What changes are happening in your life?
We’ve also created a curated Spotify playlist featuring the sounds of nature, designed to make this a multi-sensory experience. If bedtime is a struggle in your house, like it is in mine, the audio experience can be a nice way to wind down before bedtime and after story time. Both resources are available as free downloads on my website.
NYF: This project continues your advocacy for pediatric brain cancer research. How do you balance sharing your personal story with creating something that feels hopeful and accessible to children?
René Marsh: Yes, it continues my advocacy in that I donated 14% of my advance from The Nature of Change, to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, a nonprofit I’ve built a partnership with to raise funds and identify promising pediatric brain cancer research to support financially. I chose 14% because I consider that to be my late son Blake’s number. His birthday is March 14th. I created something called the 14% pledge in which I donate 14% from all of my creative projects’ revenue to pediatric brain cancer research. So the creative stories I create really have three goals: to inspire, to entertain, and to help solve this stubborn disease.
Although both my first children’s book, The Miracle Workers, Boy vs. Beast, and my second book, The Nature of Change, were inspired by my loss, the stories I write are rooted in overcoming. They focus on teaching the critical lessons that we need in order to rise above life’s hardest moments. These books are less about the problem itself and more about triumphing over it. In many ways, they are a guide for how to do just that.
I speak from experience when I say that hope, resilience, and determination belong in every human being’s life survival toolkit. By teaching these lessons early, we give the next generation a tremendous advantage by equipping them with the mental endurance they will need to navigate whatever challenges come their way.
René Marsh is a CNN national correspondent who has spent more than two decades telling stories as a journalist. She was inspired to write children’s books following the diagnosis and loss of her son, Blake, to brain cancer at age two. Her first book, “The Miracle Workers: Boy vs. Beast,” was featured on Today, ABC, and CNN, with 100% of proceeds donated to pediatric brain cancer research. Marsh lives in the Washington, D.C., metro area with her husband and daughter. See more at https://renemarsh.com/.
