Inspiring Stories for Amazing Kids With Big Feelings

Some feelings are too big for "just calm down."

- A door slams and nobody can say why.
- A child goes quiet after school.
- A photo gets checked forty times.
- "I'm fine" is said in a voice that is clearly not fine.

You want to help. You just do not have the words - and neither do they.

This book gives both of you the words.

Fifteen stories. Six friends. One school year that tests every one of them.

Meet the Oakbridge Six.
Nia plans everything. Priya listens. Elsie notices. Malik hates losing. Leo jokes. Noah worries.
Over one year they face anger that says things it cannot take back, jealousy hidden inside a timetable, a game that will not let go at one in the morning, panic behind a stage curtain, a secret that needs an adult, a video that should never have been filmed, a dad who is not himself, a photograph that turns into a mirror, an empty chair, a fight, and a stranger online who wants everything kept secret.

Nobody gets it right first time. That is the point.

What your child gets from this book

• Words for feelings they cannot yet name - because a feeling with a name is smaller than one without.
• Tools they can use the same day - square breathing, the 5-4-3-2-1 reset, and a plain way to say what is wrong.
• Permission to ask for help - shown as the brave choice, never the weak one.
• Proof they are not the only one - the quiet relief of seeing yourself in a story.
• Reading they will actually finish - short chapters, real dialogue, and 67 pencil illustrations.

What you get as the grown-up

• Conversations that start themselves. Three open questions close every story. No right answers, no quiz.
• A way in to the hard topics - drinking, online safety, grief, risky dares - handled carefully, never frighteningly.
• Something to do, not just something to say. Every story ends with one small action and one sentence your child can borrow.
• Seven minutes a night. That is all one story takes to read aloud.

Bonuses Inside the book

1. 15 illustrated stories for ages 8-15, each closing with The Feeling Compass: three questions, one thing to try, one sentence to say out loud, and the skill it builds.
2. Your Calm-Down Toolkit - square breathing and grounding, drawn step by step.
3. Name It To Tame It - a feelings wheel and a 0-to-10 scale, because a three and a nine need different plans.
4. My Safety Net - four sentences worth knowing by heart, and a cut-out card for three trusted adults.
5. Your Big Feelings Plan and A Note for Grown-Ups, written with safeguarding in mind.

Why this one is different?

Most story collections for this age stop at courage, confidence and kindness. This one goes where children actually live. It does not pretend every problem is solved by the last page. It shows children noticing, pausing, telling, choosing - and coming back.

Not one problem in this book is solved by being fearless.

Perfect for

Boys and girls aged 8-15 · reluctant readers · bedtime reading together · classroom and PSHE discussion · a gift that says I noticed · children facing a change, a loss, or a hard year

You do not need the whole map. You need the next safe thing.

Scroll up and click "Buy Now" to give your child the words - and give yourself a way in.