Finding Joy in Color

When Patrice Karst’s son Elijah was in kindergarten, he struggled with severe separation anxiety. School drop-offs were hard — Elijah would cry, begging his mom not to leave, often bringing her to tears as well. 

Amid the heartbreak of daily goodbyes, Karst searched for a way to ease her son’s pain. To help him cope, she told Elijah that their love was connected by an “invisible string.” If he missed her during the day, he could tug on the string, and she would feel it and tug back.

Thereafter, she said, his separation anxiety stopped. “Something about that image of an invisible string kept him safe … made him feel safe.” When Elijah’s classmates heard about the “invisible string,” they approached Karst, asking if it was real and if they had one that connected them to their loved ones. From this, Karst realized she’d struck gold. 

Just four years later, in 2000, she published her first children’s book, The Invisible String, inspired by the concept she had shared with her son to help him overcome his separation anxiety. It catapulted her career as a children’s book writer, selling two million copies and translating into 21 languages to date. It’s not just a book for children — people of all ages and backgrounds turn to it for its powerful message, from those in the prison system and the military to foster and adoption groups and beyond.

It’s even evolved into a series, including books like The Invisible Leash, a guide for children after losing a pet, and The Invisible Web, a story reminding us that we’re all universally connected. “It has turned into something bigger than I could have ever imagined,” she reflected. 

Karst just released her new book, How Jackson Found His Joy Again, which addresses another overlooked childhood emotion: sadness. The book, written by Karst and illustrated by Kristina Jones, tells the story of a boy named Jackson who loses his sense of joy but rediscovers it with the help of a school counselor. Karst, now a Santa Barbara resident, is hosting a story time event for the book on Saturday, May 17, at Godmothers in Summerland.

Like The Invisible String, Karst uses simple yet powerful metaphors to reach children where they are emotionally. In How Jackson Found His Joy Again, she employs colors as a metaphor for emotions. The main character, Jackson, feels sad (gray). He gradually rediscovers his colors (joy) by noticing beauty in the world around him — the bright sunflowers, the healing green trees, and the enduring hope of an orange sunset. Karst hopes the book will help children and parents recognize and process sadness, and understand that joy is their “birthright” and will return, even after difficult times.

At the heart of all her work is a singular belief: in the enduring, invisible force of love. Her core message is that love is always present, even when we can’t see or feel it immediately. “Love transcends time and space,” she reflected, “which is why it can always reach heaven or wherever our loved ones go, and nothing can destroy love.

“Life will find ways of trying to whisk our colors away,” she mused. “We need to just remember that they’re there. They’re waiting for us. We just need to go look for them again.”

For more information about the Godmothers event, see godmothers.com/events/2529220250517.