Impact & Stories From the Ripple
Small stories. Real places. Meaningful moments of connection.
The Little Pebble Books began with one simple hope: help a child feel seen, understood, and less alone. Today, the books and companion resources are reaching children through classrooms, hospitals, counseling spaces, foster-care settings, community events, and public-service professionals.
Share Your Little Pebble Story →The examples and comments on this page reflect individual experiences and early community use. They are not clinical or educational outcome claims.
Where the Ripple Is Reaching
Stories are leaving the shelf and entering the places children already are.
Current reach includes schools, healthcare settings, counseling spaces, child-welfare work, community programs, and first-response settings.
Schools & Classrooms
Books and resources are being used in classrooms, school counseling spaces, and library settings to support conversation, belonging, feelings, and connection.
Healthcare & Family Support
Little Pebble books have reached children’s hospital, Ronald McDonald House, doctor’s office, dental, and NICU-related family-support settings.
Foster, Kinship & Child Welfare
Books and Toby resources are being shared through foster-care events, caregiver support, caseworkers, and community conversations centered on children in transition.
Counseling & Support Spaces
Resources are present in counseling and therapist offices where professionals can choose a story or visual that fits the child in front of them.
Public Service
Police officers, EMT professionals, court-related settings, and attorney offices are among the places where books and child-friendly materials are being shared.
Community & Youth
Books have reached community events, Little Free Libraries, foster and caregiver gatherings, and the Denver Broncos Boys & Girls Club.
Short Case Studies
Five real examples of how the resources are being used
These examples describe setting, need, use, and what was observed or shared by the adult involved. They are not clinical or educational outcome claims.
A classroom library children kept returning to
Setting: 4th grade classroom at Rocky Mountain Prep Fletcher.
Need: Books children could choose independently while also finding stories about feelings, purpose, belonging, and everyday emotional experiences.
How it was used: Little Pebble books were placed in the classroom library for students to read and check out.
What was observed: The teacher reported that the books became the number-one most requested books in the classroom library and that students repeatedly asked to check them out.
A child-friendly resource for hard transition moments
Setting: Foster-care, caregiver, and child-welfare support.
Need: Something warm, familiar, and child-centered that a caseworker or caregiver can offer when a child is entering a new or uncertain situation.
How it was used: Books and Toby resources have been shared through foster-care events, caregiver support, and child-welfare outreach, with Toby’s Belonging Kit designed specifically for children entering care.
What was observed: A child-welfare caseworker said that seeing a child smile during a crisis matters deeply and that having a complete kit would make those moments easier for both the children and the worker.
Visual resources opened another kind of conversation
Setting: Autism resource fairs, autism centers, and community outreach events.
Need: Resources that do not depend only on spoken language and that give families and children visual ways to talk about feelings, body clues, needs, and calming choices.
How it was used: Toby visuals, books, and emotional-support resources were shared directly with families at community events and through autism-support settings.
What was observed: The events created opportunities for families to explore the resources, ask questions, and share what kinds of visual and communication supports would be most useful for their children.
A gentle story for a family carrying a lot
Setting: Hospital, NICU, and family-support spaces.
Need: A story that could offer encouragement and connection without asking a child or parent to explain everything they were feeling.
How it was used: Oliver the Smallest Bear and other Little Pebble stories have been shared in hospital and NICU-related family-support settings.
What was observed: One NICU parent said Oliver’s message about purpose and mattering touched their family and could be used as a comfort for other families going through similar experiences.
A bedtime story that became a familiar point of connection
Setting: Adoptive family at home.
Need: A gentle way to help a child feel understood without turning bedtime into a difficult conversation.
How it was used: The family read The Pebble together repeatedly as part of their bedtime routine.
What was observed: The adoptive parent shared that they read the book every night for three months and that their daughter said it was the first book that made her feel like someone understood her.
What People Are Saying
Words from educators, families, and professionals
These comments are individual experiences with Little Pebble books and resources.
Your books have quickly become the number one most requested books in our classroom library. Students are constantly asking to check them out.Claire Hyde
4th Grade Teacher, Rocky Mountain Prep Fletcher
This story is a reminder that no matter how small you are, you still have purpose and a reason. It has touched our NICU family and will be used as a comfort to so many others.NICU Parent
OllieBears Care Packages
What you are doing for children is important and admired. This work can help break barriers and build trust among children in moments where connection matters most.Police Officer
University of Colorado Anschutz
My job at times is heartbreaking, but to see a child smile in a time of crisis is what I want to give them. That is exactly what your books do. Having the full kit will make things easier on the kids and myself.Child Welfare Caseworker
The Ripple in Real Life
Meeting children and families where they are
Community events, family-support spaces, hospital connections, and read-aloud moments keep the work grounded in real people rather than numbers alone.
Community Events
Sharing stories and visual resources directly with families while listening to what children and caregivers need.
Reading With Children
The heart of the work remains simple: sit beside a child, open a story, and create a gentle place to begin.
Hospital Connections
Stories can offer a familiar, low-pressure point of connection in settings where children and families may be carrying a great deal.
Media Feature
Featured on Great Day Colorado / FOX31 Denver
Trish Iiams joined Great Day Colorado to share the story behind The Little Pebble Books and how the series grew from real children, real needs, and the hope of helping children feel seen and supported.
Watch the FOX31 Feature →FOX31 Denver · September 2026
Help the Ripple Keep Growing
Have you used a Little Pebble book or resource with a child?
Teacher, caregiver, caseworker, medical professional, first responder, counselor, or parent — your experience helps us understand how the stories are being used and where they are making a meaningful connection.
Share Your Experience →