In the Metafurs (animal metaphors) rhyming picture book series for kids, Ani the Animal Spirit helps baby animals with their mental health concerns:
Doggedly Digital: A Videogaming Story
Danny the Dog has been playing his video games for so long that he’s turned into one!
When a lightning storm ruins his TV, Danny reluctantly turns his eyes to his own backyard. There he rediscovers Ani the Animal Spirit, and together they find adventures in real life.
But when Danny’s digital puppy friends draw him back into his video games, will he be able to remember what Ani taught him?
Doggedly Digital might just inspire your child to put the game controller down.
The Grounded Reindeer: A Story About Believing
Rainier the baby reindeer is grounded in science, math, and facts—but he doesn’t believe in magic!
When Rainier fails at flying school again, he calls upon Ani the Animal Spirit to help. Together they discover the magic in all things—including himself.
But when Rainier is needed to help fly Santa in an emergency, will he lose his newfound belief?
The Grounded Reindeer might just inspire your child to believe in their own magic.
Seeing Red: A Story About Anger
Tory the “tumbulling” baby bull doesn’t like being told no. In fact, it makes him so angry that he sees red.
Tory the baby bull loves gymnastics and practices his rolls and flips daily. Tory has a sensitivity to anger, however, and when he gets upset, he loses control.
After Tory destroys his favorite toys in a fit of rage, he calls upon Ani the Animal Spirit to help. Together they talk about anger, and Tory learns a skill for self-control.
But when Tory gets angry again while at his important tumbling meet, will he be able to remember what Ani taught him?
Seeing Red might just help a child you love to manage their own anger.
The Purrfectionist: A Story About Perfect Things
Priscilla loves it when everything is purrfect.
From her bedsheets to her steps to her drawings, Prissy works so hard at getting everything perfect that nothing ends up perfect at all!
Prissy calls on Ani the Animal Spirit to help, and Ani shows her that she’s perfect just the way she is. Prissy learns that getting things done can be just as perfect as making them exactly right.
But when Prissy is chosen to create a perfect drawing for the new local art show, will she remember what she learned?
The Purrfectionist might just help a child you love to manage their purrfectionistic tendencies.
The Busy Bee: A Story About Overworking
Buffy the busy bee is overworked from all her activities!
As Buffy gets more and more tired, her chores suffer, she makes mistakes at her jobs, and even falls asleep in class.
Exhausted, she calls on Ani the Animal Spirit to help. Ani teaches her about the nature of hard work, and Buffy learns that she has to take breaks for her wellbeeing.
But when a poisonous cloud threatens her hive, Buffy gets called into action. Will her newfound self-care help save the day?
The Busy Bee might just help a child you love to manage their own busy-ness.
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Sunset: Talking About Loss
Loss comes in many forms, and whether we’re big or small, animal or human, everyone will feel it.
We lose friends, we lose pets, we lose family members. Some of these losses are temporary, and some are forever. Loss and big changes require grieving—the feeling of saying goodbye to something.
As her friends come to her with missing, loss, grief, and sadness, Ani the Animal Spirit talks to them about their feelings, explaining the many different forms of loss and how we can move forward. The words “lost,” “gone,” and “died” are introduced in conversation to represent various forms of loss and change. Parents and caregivers can mix and match the language to fit their child’s loss, and the concept of continuation is left open so parents can discuss an afterlife, if they wish. A simple worksheet at the end of the book provides an opportunity to specify the child’s loss and resulting feelings.
Sunset might help a child you love to manage the difficult experience of loss.