Every family has its own story.
Choose the path that feels most like your family. You’ll find support created for the experiences and questions that may come with it.
Families & Caregivers
For everyday big feelings, anxiety, confidence, friendship, belonging, and the challenges that come with growing up.
Explore Family Resources →Foster Families
Support for welcoming a child, building safety and trust, navigating transitions, and understanding what may be underneath difficult behaviors.
For Foster Families →Adoptive Families
Stories and resources for belonging, identity, family connection, and the questions children may carry about their stories.
For Adoptive Families →Kinship & Grandfamilies
Support for grandparents and relatives raising children through family changes, transitions, loss, and new beginnings.
For Kinship Families →If you are reading this at midnight wondering if you are doing enough, the fact that you are here—looking for a way to understand, support, or simply connect with your child—matters.
As a mom, foster parent, and adoptive parent, I know there are days when you give everything you have and still wonder what your child needs. These books were created for those real family moments—the big feelings, hard conversations, quiet worries, and times when you simply need a gentle place to begin.
You do not have to have the perfect words. Read together. Stay close. Keep showing up. Sometimes connection begins with one small story.
— Trish Iiams
For the parents who keep showing up, even on the hard days. 💛
A meaningful fit for many stages of childhood
Created to meet children where they are emotionally — with stories simple enough for young children and meaningful enough to grow with them.
Best for ages 3–10
Ideal for read-alouds, bedtime, early elementary children, and children learning emotional language.
Also Meaningful for Older Children
Especially helpful for ages 9–11 depending on topic, emotional needs, and conversation use.
Great for Home Use
Perfect for bedtime, quiet moments, after hard days, and family reading routines.
Also Used Professionally
Loved in classrooms, counseling offices, calm corners, and family support settings.
Find a story for what your child is experiencing
Children don’t always have the words to tell us what they need. Start with what you’re noticing, then meet the stories that may help open the conversation.
Big Feelings, Worry & Feeling Safe
When feelings seem bigger than the words your child has for them.
Crabby’s Big Feelings
For the child whose feelings sometimes come in like a wave.
Safe Inside Her Shell
For the child who needs to feel safe before they are ready to come out of their shell.
Little Lion, Big Roar
For the child learning that big feelings are okay—and what to do with them.
The Girl Who Thought She Caused the Rain
For the child carrying blame that was never theirs to carry.
Belonging, Identity & Being Different
For the child wondering, “Where do I fit?” or “Is it okay to be me?”
Where the Little Otter Belongs
For the child who needs reassurance that family and belonging can hold their whole story.
The Little Zebra Who Had No Stripes
For the child noticing that they are different and learning that different can belong.
The Ziggity-Zaggity Little Whale
For the child discovering that they do not have to move through the world exactly like everyone else.
That’s No Bee!
For the child figuring out where they belong while learning there is room to be exactly who they are.
Self-Worth, Confidence & Purpose
For the child who feels small, overlooked, unsure, or wonders whether they really matter.
The Pebble
For the child who needs to hear that even someone small can make a difference.
Simply Caby
For the child who keeps looking at everyone else and needs to discover that being themselves is enough.
Oliver the Smallest Bear
For the child who feels too small to be strong or important.
The Little Fox Who Matters
For the child learning that small acts and a caring heart can matter more than they realize.
Friendship, Trust & Connection
For the child learning how to reach toward others, trust, accept love, and find friendship.
How the Cat Got Its Purr
For the child who wants connection but may not know how to begin.
The Little Porcupine Who Wanted a Hug
For the child learning that protecting yourself and letting someone care can both be true.
Hope, Dreams & Seeing Things Differently
For the child learning to hold onto hope, believe in themselves, or see their situation in a new way.
The Moon Who Wanted to Stay
For the child who longs to be seen and needs reassurance that their place and purpose matter.
Juliana and the Dream in Her Pocket
For the child carrying a dream that feels much bigger than they are.
The Little Panda on the Hill
For the child learning that sometimes what we are waiting for looks different when we change our view.
Stories for Specific Needs & Experiences
Sometimes families are looking for a story that speaks more directly to something their child is experiencing. These stories can be another place to begin.
The Little Zebra Who Had No Stripes
For children who experience the world differently and may wonder why they do not seem to fit the same pattern as everyone else.
The Ziggity-Zaggity Little Whale
For children whose bodies may move or work differently, with reassurance that doing something differently does not make their way less valuable.
Safe Inside Her Shell
For children whose worries can make the world feel harder to navigate and who need gentle reassurance as they move through anxious feelings.
Want full descriptions, included tools, and purchase options?
Explore the Complete Book Collection →A few minutes can become a moment of connection
At bedtime, after a hard day, or whenever your child needs you close, you do not need a perfect plan. Keep it simple.
Read one story
Choose the story that feels closest to what your child needs that day.
Ask one gentle question
Try, “Did anything in this story feel like you?” Then give them room to answer—or not.
Connect before correcting
A cuddle, a quiet moment, or simply sitting nearby can say more than the perfect words.
Practice one tool
Use one breathing, calming, or reflection tool and come back to it another day.
Connection matters more than doing it perfectly.
Simple tools for big feelings.
Toby the Turtle helps children slow down, notice what they are feeling, and choose a simple way to cope. Toby’s Toolbox™ gives families practical tools they can use at home when feelings get big.
Breathe • Move • Quiet Time • Kind Words • Ask for Help
Meet Toby →Gentle tools you can start using today
Simple printables and family-friendly supports created to make everyday moments easier.
Pebble Breathing
A calming breathing exercise children can remember and use almost anywhere.
Conversation Prompts
Gentle questions that help children share thoughts and feelings without pressure.
Feelings Check-In Pages
Child-friendly worksheets that help children identify emotions and feel understood.
Calm Corner Ideas
Easy ways to create a cozy reset space at home with what you already have.
Sometimes the smallest tools create the biggest calm.
Created from lived experience
These stories were shaped by real life, real children, and the quiet moments that matter most. They were created by a foster and adoptive mother who understands that some children need extra gentleness, extra reassurance, and stories that help them feel safe enough to breathe.
Real words from real readers
Families often tell us these books become more than one-time reads — they become part of home life.
“It quickly became one of our favorites… it made my children feel more confident for the rest of the day.”
Verified Parent Review
“I read it with my 7-year-old daughter the day it arrived and she really liked it. It’s a great conversation starter.”
Verified Parent Review
“Every teacher and family needs this book in their library. It is incredibly moving and beautiful.”
Verified Purchaser
“What a beautifully written book of hope and believing in one’s self no matter what.”
Verified Purchaser
“My daughter asks for this book again and again. It has become part of our bedtime routine.”
Parent Feedback
“This helped us talk about feelings in a way that didn’t feel forced. I’m so grateful we found it.”
Parent Feedback