Many people assume my children's books are just for little kids. And they absolutely are wonderful for young children. But here's what surprises almost everyone...

Most of these books were actually written to my own children... when they were teenagers. I wasn't writing children's books. I was writing letters of love... trying to get through to my kids as they went through really hard things.

As a mom navigating narcissistic abuse and parental alienation, I watched my kids wrestle with anxiety, self-doubt, people-pleasing, unhealthy relationships, and trying to figure out who they were. Like many parents, I discovered that teenagers will resist anything that looks like it's telling them what to do or lecturing them.

But they will listen to a simple story. Especially if that simple story is relatable... and helps them feel seen.

The Simplicity Is the Secret

Kids need messages that are simple enough to understand. Teens need messages that are powerful enough to remember.

The beauty of these books is that they do both.

A five-year-old might simply hear, "I can choose to be happy."

A thirteen-year-old begins to realize, "My choices matter more than my circumstances."

An adult may read the very same words and recognize that happiness isn't something someone else gives us... it's something we create, even when life is difficult.

The words don't change. The reader does.

That's why parents constantly tell me these books don't get packed away as their children grow.

Instead, they stay on bedroom shelves. They get picked up again during middle school. Again during high school. Again after a breakup. Again after a hard day.

The books don't become less meaningful as children grow older.

They become more meaningful.