It doesn’t have to be a textbook to be an educational read.

The latest offering from Marrowstone Island author Taylor Mermel, “Autom and the Separation Anxiety Storm,”  combines a relatable character and sympathetic situations with instructional anxiety coping mechanisms specifically designed for young readers.

It just may be the soothing story for our stressful times.

“Not only are we living in a time when its encouraged to talk about mental health, but kids are experiencing almost a divorce from the idea of school,” Mermel said.

Being separated from their routines, friends and teachers, she called a kind of “collective trauma” which many adults might not fully recognize.

The second in the Autom series, the new book backtracks from “Autom and the Classroom Anxiety Animals” and returns the titular fairy puppet in a kind of prequel story.

The first book followed three young learners as they navigated anxiety triggers in Ms. Coco’s classroom, depicting three expressions of anxiety: physical, emotional, and behavioral. The students are given access to an emotional regulation tool in the form of a fairy puppet named Autom. Together they find ways to move past points of panic with exercises that include basic breath work, asking for help, and visualizing sensations from a happy place. 

The sequel, “Autom and the Separation Anxiety Storm,” is an origin story of how the magical Autom came to be, and it sheds light on Ms. Coco’s past experience with divorce.

Readers will follow along and see Coco cope with missing family members and belongings and witness her find ways to feel grounded in times of crisis via a popular Emotional Freedom Technique (specifically, tapping facial pressure points).

Mermel, who was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and high anxiety when she was a teen, describes herself as “a sensitive storyteller writing for cautious kiddos,” and said she hopes with her work to create the sort of representation young-her craved.

“I was an anxious child without resources,” she said.

Today, more options exist, something which the author hopes her books can illustrate for curious readers in an informative but approachable manner.

Though largely dismissed by the professional medical community, Emotional Freedom Techniques, which draw upon and combine various theories of alternative medicine, have champions. Mermel said that as one of an array of coping mechanisms offered across both books, EFT is presented in her work in a manner more instructive than prescriptive.

“If you read the book, it’s not instructional,” she explained. “In none of my books do I say this is going to fix you. It’s merely introduced as a tool.

“It’s all very subtle.”

The very act of realizing, upon being faced with a stressful situation, that they have options can be a kind of coping mechanism for children and encourage them to think of their mental state and reactions holistically, the author said.

“The books really are playful, colorful, whimsical even though they tackle big ideas,” Mermel said. “Not only can kids see themselves in the story but they also can have a coping practice.”

Mermel’s work has been praised by librarians, school counselors, parents, and therapists.

“I’ve only gotten amazing reviews,” she said.

One such fan, Kali Olsen, a marriage and family therapist, said she introduced one of Mermel’s books to a client who was having trouble going to school in the mornings. It not only proved effective, she said, but popular.

“[The child] wanted to tell you ‘it’s amazing, it’s awesome, you did a good job and you’re the best!’” Olsen wrote in her review.

Felisha Kingsley also praised Mermel’s books, writing, “As an educator this book gives me a tool to gently guide my students with examples of feelings they may be having and ways to comfort themselves and/or others. Mental health is such an important issue and the discussion should start early.”

The books are both written and illustrated by Mermel, who also publishes and markets them as an indie, one-person show.

“I live and breath for this kind of stuff,” she said. “I am doing every single piece of the work to get this resource out there.”

Would-be readers can find the Autom series at Imprint Bookstore and The Writers’ Workshoppe (820 Water St., in Port Townsend) and through Mermel’s website (www.autombooks.com).

The two books are designed to compliment each other, and offer distinct stories, different coping advice, and disparate tones.

“The first was methodical, meant for the classroom,” she said. “The second is much more imagery, depth in the writing, much more emotional versus methodical.”