Stories and emotional-learning resources that help children understand what they feel—and what to do next
The Little Pebble Books and Toby’s Toolbox™ help teachers build a bridge to children through stories, emotion recognition, communication supports, Calm Corner resources, regulation tools, and an optional full digital emotions and feelings curriculum.
Ages 3–10 · Pre-K–5th grade
Choose the path that fits your work
The heart is the same. The way you use the stories and tools may look a little different.
Teachers
Books and practical tools for read-alouds, morning meetings, calm corners, transitions, and everyday classroom moments.
Teacher Resources →Counselors & Child-Support Professionals
Gentle stories and emotional-support tools for naming feelings, building safety, connection, and beginning hard conversations.
Support Resources →Homeschool Families
Meaningful stories and simple emotional tools that can become a natural part of learning and connection at home.
Homeschool Resources →Help children move from a big feeling to a next step
Children do not always have the words to explain what is happening inside them. Little Pebble gives teachers and children a shared path for slowing the moment down and working through it together.
What am I feeling?
Build emotion recognition and vocabulary so children can begin identifying and naming what they are experiencing.
What is happening inside me?
Notice body clues, connect feelings with experiences, and begin understanding what an emotion may be communicating.
What do I need?
Give children language and visual supports that can make it easier to share a feeling, ask for help, or connect with a trusted adult.
What can I do next?
Practice breathing, calming, and regulation strategies so children have choices they can return to when feelings become big.
Recognize → Understand → Communicate → Regulate
The books — and why teachers use them
The collection includes 17 children’s books for ages 3–10. Each story gives children a gentle way into something that can be hard to explain — feelings, belonging, confidence, identity, family, anxiety, kindness, courage, and self-worth.
A safe way to talk about feelings
Children can begin with a character and a story instead of having to begin by talking about themselves.
Emotional language that grows naturally
Stories give teachers a natural opening for conversations about regulation, belonging, confidence, and emotional literacy.
A starting point for real classroom moments
Use the stories during read-alouds, morning meetings, small groups, calm-corner conversations, or one-on-one support.
A way for children to feel seen without being singled out
The whole class can share the same story while each child quietly takes from it what they need.
One familiar friend from story time to calm-down time
Toby helps the books and classroom tools feel like one connected world instead of separate lessons.
Story Toby
Story Toby watches over the Little Pebble Books and is the heart of the Little Pebble Books logo. The quiet, patient turtle children first meet in The Pebble—a familiar face woven through the Little Pebble story world.
Young Toby
The familiar classroom friend who helps children explore feelings, body clues, communication, calming strategies, and emotional regulation.
Meet Toby →
Stories open the conversation. Toby helps children know what to do next.
Toby’s Toolbox™ is a growing collection of classroom resources, books, regulation supports, Calm Corner tools, and a full digital emotions and feelings curriculum. Teachers can use one tool in one moment—or teach the skills more intentionally over time.
Access: Free printables are available on the Free Resources page · Toby books and workbooks are purchased on Amazon · Turtle Shell Calm-Down Ring Cards are ordered directly · Full digital curriculum access is available by request.
Ready when a child needs support
Bring Toby into everyday classroom moments with practical supports children and teachers can use together.
Turtle Shell Calm-Down Ring Cards · breathing and calming strategies · feelings and body-clue supports · emotion-recognition activities · classroom printables and visuals.
Access: Direct order through The Little Pebble Books. Contact Trish for current ordering details.
Books children can return to
Toby gives children a familiar character as they learn about feelings, body clues, communication, and calm choices.
Toby and Big Feelings · Toby’s Feelings Thermometer Workbook · more Toby books coming · Communication Cards in development.
Access: Published Toby books and workbooks are available for individual purchase on Amazon.
Full digital emotions & feelings curriculum
For teachers who want to go deeper, the full curriculum brings the learning together so children can build emotion recognition, understanding, communication, and regulation skills over time.
Access: Digital access is provided by request. Contact The Little Pebble Books for current educator or school access and pricing.
Start with what your classroom needs now
Try a free resource, add the Turtle Shell Calm-Down Ring Cards, or use the Toby books as hands-on companions to the emotional-learning work.
More Toby’s Toolbox™ books and resources are coming.
A place to practice the skills—not a place to be sent away
A Calm Corner can give children a predictable place to slow down, notice what they are feeling, and use the strategies they have been learning with Toby.
The goal is not simply to make a feeling stop. It is to help a child begin recognizing the emotion, understanding body clues, communicating what they need, and choosing a regulation strategy with support.
Access: Free Calm Corner printables and samples are available through the Free Resources page. Broader classroom or school Calm Corner materials can be discussed through the School & District Program.
What am I feeling?
What is my body telling me?
What do I need right now?
What can help my body feel more regulated?
Supports all five CASEL competency areas
The Little Pebble Books supports the five CASEL competency areas through stories, regulation tools, reflection, communication supports, and classroom connection.
Self-Awareness
Naming emotions, recognizing inner experiences, identity, and self-worth.
Self-Management
Breathing, calming, regulation, and tools for difficult transitions.
Social Awareness
Perspective-taking, differences, family, belonging, and understanding others.
Relationship Skills
Trust, connection, kindness, communication, and asking for help.
Responsible Decision-Making
Reflection, choices, problem-solving, and considering what to do next.
Easy to Integrate
Use the resources alongside classroom SEL goals, read-alouds, morning meetings, small groups, and Calm Corner routines.
Built to create a bridge between a child and the adult trying to reach them
Toby’s Toolbox™ and the Little Pebble emotional-learning resources grew from years of helping my own children and foster children recognize emotions, understand what was happening inside them, and learn ways to process and regulate big feelings.
I also saw how difficult it could be for teachers to reach a child who was overwhelmed, shutting down, acting out, or simply unable to explain what they needed. I wanted to create something the child and teacher could use together.
A bridge between behavior and the feeling underneath it. Between “What’s wrong?” and “This is what I’m feeling.” Between a big emotion and knowing what to do next.
The stories help children feel seen. Toby helps them understand themselves while giving the adults who care for them another way to reach them.
Preview the approach with something you can use tomorrow
Pebble Breathing card · Young Toby Meet & Greet page · Sample morning meeting guide · I Am Brave coloring page
Access: Free to view and download from the Free Resources page.
Visit the Free Resources page to choose classroom printables and samples you can begin using with children.
Get the Free Classroom Resources →Author visits, read-alouds & educator workshops
Invite Trish Iiams for a classroom or school read-aloud, educator workshop, staff presentation, or school-community event. Visit formats, approximate length, travel, materials, and the pricing process are all explained on the Author Visits & Workshops page.
Explore Author Visits & Workshops →A few things teachers often want to know
Start with one story or one tool, or use the full curriculum to build emotional skills more intentionally over time.
Do I need to use the full curriculum to use Toby’s Toolbox™?
No. Teachers can use individual books, regulation tools, Calm Corner resources, or Toby activities on their own. The full digital emotions and feelings curriculum is available for educators who want a more structured learning path.
What ages are The Little Pebble Books and resources designed for?
The books are designed for children ages 3–10, with educator materials appropriate for Pre-K–5th grade.
How can I use these resources in my classroom?
Use them during read-alouds, morning meetings, small groups, Calm Corner time, transitions, emotion check-ins, or individual moments when a child needs help recognizing, understanding, communicating, or regulating a feeling.
What is included in Toby’s Toolbox™?
Toby’s Toolbox™ is a growing collection that includes Toby books, emotion-recognition and body-clue activities, breathing and regulation strategies, classroom printables, Calm Corner supports, and the Turtle Shell Calm-Down Ring Cards. Toby’s Communication Cards are currently in development.
Is there a complete emotions and feelings curriculum?
Yes. Digital access to the full Toby emotions and feelings curriculum is available for teachers who want to build these skills more intentionally over time—from recognizing and understanding emotions to communicating needs and practicing regulation strategies.
Can my whole school use Little Pebble resources?
For broader school use, visit the School & District Program page to explore books, Toby’s Toolbox™, Calm Corner supports, and digital curriculum options for a larger school setting.
Want to bring Little Pebble beyond one classroom?
If you are exploring a school or district-wide approach, we created a separate page for the details you need to make a decision.
See what the program can include, how the resources fit into classrooms, CASEL documentation, school-wide access, pilot information, and ways to begin a conversation about your school or district.
Explore the School & District Program →You already make a difference in the moments children remember.
Little Pebble is here to help you put a story, a tool, or a few reassuring words into those moments.