About The Little Pebble Books
A collection of gentle stories and emotional support tools created to help children feel seen, safe, and valued — in the moments that matter most.
I wrote The Pebble
for the child I had been.
The Little Pebble Books began with one story, one ache, and one quiet hope: that a child who feels unseen might finally hear, you matter.
I know what it feels like to be invisible.
I know what it feels like to wonder if you matter — if anyone sees you, if there is a place in this world that belongs to you. I carried that feeling for a long time. The quiet ache of a child who is not sure she is enough.
I wrote The Pebble for that little girl. For me.
I did not plan to write a growing collection of books. I did not plan to build a program. I sat down to write one story — for one child.
The child I had felt like — lonely, unseen, wondering if I was enough.
And then the children came through our door.
My husband and I opened our home to foster care. And in those children — in their eyes, in their silence, in the way they held themselves as if they were waiting to be sent away again — I saw something I recognized.
The same loneliness I had carried.
The same desperate, unspoken need to matter.
To belong.
To have someone look at them and say:
You are seen.
You are wanted.
You are enough.
Because when you have lived in that invisible place, you do not forget it.
So I started reading to them.
And I watched something happen that I could not explain.
A simple story changed everything.
Not because the words were magic, but because when a child hears a story about a character who feels what they feel — something shifts.
Something in them says:
That is me.
And if that is me, and that character found their way through, maybe I can too.
That was the moment I understood what I was meant to do.
So I kept writing.
One book became two. Two became eight.
The stories kept coming because the children kept coming, and every one of them needed something I could give.
Not just a story.
A tool.
A breath.
A way to name what they were feeling.
I am not a researcher. I am not a clinical expert.
I am a woman who grew up feeling invisible — a trauma survivor who learned firsthand what it means to need a story that sees you. I opened my home to children who carried that same weight, and discovered that the right story — told with love — can reach a place that nothing else can.
That is what The Little Pebble Books is.
A mother’s response to what she saw in the eyes of children who needed to know they mattered.
My hope is to help as many children as I can find their place and their voice.
And then one day, a child held my first book — The Pebble — and I saw it on their face.
That look.
The one that says:
I matter.
I am seen.
I belong here.
And in that moment, something I had carried my whole life quietly set itself down.
Because I realized:
I matter too.
Because I was that child — not in the way they were. But in the way that mattered. The child who felt unseen. Who wondered if she was enough.
And someone should have found me sooner.
What It Became
That one story became something more
What began as one story for one child has grown into a collection of books and tools designed to support children in real moments — not just during storytime, but in the moments that matter most.
Stories children see themselves in
Each book reflects real emotional experiences, helping children feel seen, understood, and less alone.
Simple tools for real moments
Breathing tools, calming strategies, and emotional supports children can use right away when feelings get big.
Support for the adults who care for them
Resources designed for educators, caregivers, and professionals to help them respond with confidence and connection.
Because a story can open a door — but what happens next matters just as much.
Where It’s Being Used
This work is already reaching children
What began with one story is now supporting children in classrooms, homes, care settings, and communities — in the moments when they need it most.
In Classrooms
Teachers are using these books and tools to support emotional learning, build connection, and create safe classroom environments.
In Homes
Families are using these stories to help children process feelings, find comfort, and build meaningful moments of connection.
In Foster & Care Settings
Children navigating transitions are receiving these stories and tools to support belonging, safety, and emotional stability.
In Community & First Response
First responders are using books and calming kits to help children feel safe and begin to build trust during difficult moments.
These are the moments where small stories begin to make a real difference.
Programs & Partnerships
Bringing these stories beyond the page
The Little Pebble Books are designed to do more than sit on a shelf. Through school visits, community partnerships, and practical support tools, this work is growing into meaningful ways to reach children where they are.
Author Visits
Read-alouds and story-centered visits created to help children engage with books in ways that feel meaningful, calming, and memorable.
Teacher & Counselor Support
Simple workshops and practical resources designed to help educators, counselors, and support staff use story-based tools in real settings.
Community Partnerships
Programs and resource-based partnerships that bring books, calming tools, and emotional support into communities serving children and families.
Whether the need is in a classroom, a counseling space, a family support setting, or a community program, the goal is the same: to help children feel seen, safe, and supported.
Who This Work Supports
Designed for children — and the people who care for them
The Little Pebble Books are being used in homes, classrooms, care settings, and communities to help children feel seen, safe, and supported in real moments.
Families
Families of all kinds — including foster, adoptive, and kinship families — using stories to support connection, belonging, and emotional understanding at home.
Educators
PreK–Grade 5 teachers, counselors, and school teams using trauma-informed, story-based tools to support emotional learning in real classroom moments.
Community & Emotional Support
School counselors, therapists, social workers, community organizations, and first responders using books and calming tools to help children feel safe, process emotions, and build trust in difficult moments.
Medical & Hospital Settings
NICUs, pediatric units, Ronald McDonald Houses, and waiting rooms — places where a story can bring calm, comfort, and connection during uncertain moments.
The Heart Behind the Stories
I am this girl.
This is my story.
The Little Pebble Books did not begin with a business plan. They began with lived experience, with children, and with a deep understanding of what it feels like to need a story that says, you matter.
I am the author, illustrator, and founder of The Little Pebble Books — a growing collection of gentle picture books and story-based emotional support tools created to help children feel seen, safe, and valued.
I know what it feels like to grow up in the invisible place. I know what it means to carry questions about worth, belonging, and whether anyone really sees you.
I was a mother first, and now a grandmother. Through foster care and adoption, I opened my home to children carrying more than any child should ever have to carry.
In them, I recognized something familiar — the same quiet ache, the same deep need to know they mattered.
That is where these stories came from. Not from a plan, but from love. From seeing children up close and realizing that story could become a bridge to comfort, connection, and hope.
Today, this work has grown into books, tools, and resources used by families, educators, emotional support professionals, community partners, and care settings that want to meet children gently in real moments.
I live in Colorado, where I still pick up pebbles and still believe in the power of small things.
More Than Just Books
The Program
The Little Pebble Books has grown into a complete, CASEL-aligned social-emotional learning program for children ages 3–11, spanning PreK through Grade 5.
It is more than a book series. It is a connected system of stories, regulation tools, educator resources, and family supports — all built around a single guiding belief:
“I believe children do well when they feel safe, supported, and understood.”
This work was not born in a research study or a classroom. It was born in a life.
Every book in the series was written for a real child — a child who was loved, held, and walked alongside through moments of fear, uncertainty, and healing.
The Work
More than books — a growing system of support
The Little Pebble Books has grown into a collection of stories, tools, and supports designed to help children feel seen, safe, and connected — and to equip the adults who care for them in the moments that matter most.
Stories
Picture books children see themselves in — helping them feel understood, less alone, and more confident in their place in the world.
Emotional Support Tools
Breathing tools, calm corner supports, and guided prompts that help children regulate emotions and navigate big feelings in real time.
Community & Support Systems
Used by educators, counselors, therapists, community organizations, and first responders to help children feel safe, supported, and able to build trust.
Comfort & Care
Books and care resources placed in NICUs, pediatric units, Ronald McDonald Houses, and waiting rooms — bringing calm, comfort, and connection in difficult moments.
The Mission
The Mission
I spent years not knowing I mattered.
I do not want any child to spend that long finding out that they do.
One pebble. One ripple. One child who finally believes they matter.
That is enough. That has always been enough.
My hope, my prayer, and everything in my heart is to reach as many children as I can — to help them find their place and find their voice.
Through story. Through tools. Through the simple, radical act of a book that looks a child in the eye and says:
you are seen.
you belong here.
you matter.
The stories keep coming because the children keep coming.
And as long as there is a child somewhere who feels invisible — I will keep writing.
Because even the smallest heart can make a difference.
The Vision
The Vision
A world where every child feels seen, safe, and understood.
Where the child entering foster care has something warm to hold on the hardest day of their life.
Where the baby in the NICU has a story that says — you are small, and you are mighty, and you matter.
Where the child in the courthouse waiting room has something gentle to hold while adults decide their future.
Where every classroom has the tools to meet children where they are.
Where first responders, caseworkers, and medical teams never arrive empty-handed.
And where no child falls through the gap between home and school, between crisis and calm, between feeling invisible and knowing they matter.
Because even the smallest heart can make a difference.