I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”

When a young island girl named Elsie discovers an old bait bucket washed ashore, she sets out to find who it belongs to. A curious gull, a cheerful crab, a playful seal, and even the Sea itself each share memories of the bucket’s past. At last, the Sea tells Elsie that both she and the bucket are ready for something new. With imagination and care, Elsie finds a new purpose for the bucket.

Set on the coast of Maine, Elsie and the Bucket is a gentle, timeless picture book about renewal, empathy, and listening to the natural world. With lyrical language and a tender sense of wonder, it reminds readers that every small act of care can make waves.

On a warm August night on Deer Isle, Elsie and her mother stay late at a community campfire on Sand Beach, listening to stories. A boy named Tommy tells a spooky tale about a ghost goat named Elmer who haunts a nearby barn.

When it’s time to go home, Elsie feels uneasy—especially when her mother asks her to close the chicken coop by the barn. Remembering Tommy’s story, she’s frightened .

With her stuffed dog Cody in her arms, and a flashlight in hand, Elsie faces her fears and walks through the moonlit yard to the coop. Though she hears creaks and rustles that make her heart race, she bravely completes her chore and returns home proud and triumphant.

It’s a gentle nighttime adventure about bravery, imagination, and trust between a mother and daughter.

In early spring on Deer Isle, Elsie spends a sunny day birdwatching in her yard, wearing her safari hat and green birding cape. She knows the calls of many birds, but longs to hear the striking “Wuk-wuk-wuk!” of a Pileated Woodpecker. When she finally hears it, she follows the sound deep into the woods—too far.

Lost as the weather turns cold and snowy, Elsie remembers the safety lessons her mother taught her: Stay calm, stay put, stay warm, and be loud. The forest birds—sparrow, chickadee, and crow—seem to guide her, echoing each step of that advice.

Though frightened and cold, Elsie holds on, hearing her stuffed dog Cody’s comforting voice in her mind telling her to stay strong. Her calls for help lead her mother to find her, and soon Elsie is safe at home, wrapped in warmth and love.

The story ends with Mamma’s reassurance that everyone makes mistakes—but bravery and remembering what you’ve been taught can bring you safely home.

Elsie and the Treasure Map is the story of a child navigating hurt feelings, forgiveness, and love.

After a quiet disappointment with her busy mother, Elsie discovers a mysterious treasure map and is swept into a dreamlike voyage across a sea of stars with her plush sheepdog, Cody.

When the map fades and the path forward is unclear, Elsie must choose how to travel—guided by anger or by kindness. Following the stars home, she discovers that the greatest treasure isn’t something buried, but the love waiting for her all along.

The story gently explores how love survives ordinary disappointments—the kind no one is at fault for, but that still hurt—and how small acts of compassion can quietly mend what feels broken.

Elsie and the Moonbeam is a gentle picture book about learning how to handle scary dreams. When Elsie is unsettled by a dream that felt beautiful at first but turned frightening, her mamma helps her understand that dreams are stories the mind tells—and that stories can be changed. While camping in the backyard to watch a meteor shower, Elsie drifts into another dream where she must face her fear of losing the one thing that makes her feel safe. By choosing to imagine a happier ending, Elsie discovers a quiet, empowering way to feel brave again, showing young readers that even when dreams feel real, they don’t have to stay scary.

On a bright autumn day, Elsie discovers that even the smallest creatures can be misunderstood—and deeply kind. When a spider crosses her path, Elsie learns that paying close attention can turn fear into wonder.

Elsie and the Genie’s Bottle follows a curious island girl who discovers a mysterious green glass bottle after a summer rain washes it free from a hillside near her family’s barn.

Elsie’s quiet wish for connection carries her into a luminous dream where past and present meet.

Together, two girls named Elsie—separated by time but bound by family—bury the bottle with intention, allowing it to be found again generations later. Blending history, imagination, and emotional truth, the story explores how the past speaks to us through the smallest treasures, and how remembering can be its own kind of magic.

Elsie and the Best Birthday is a tender picture book about love, generosity, and growing bravery. When Elsie wakes up on her mamma’s birthday, she wants to give her something truly wonderful—but nothing in the meadow or barnyard feels quite right. As Elsie searches for the perfect gift, she begins to realize that what brings her the most comfort might be exactly what her mamma needs too. With quiet courage, Elsie makes a heartfelt choice that shows how love sometimes means sharing what matters most, and how even small acts of selflessness can help us discover our own strength.

Elsie and the Rooster is a heartfelt picture book about responsibility, patience, and learning how to care for someone who depends on you.

When Elsie meets a lone chick at the feed store—one few people want because he will grow into a rooster—she knows she has found someone who needs her.

As Roo grows, Elsie learns what it means to be a teacher, advocate, and protector, helping him develop the instincts and confidence he’ll need to lead his own flock.

Through small, thoughtful acts and steady perseverance, Elsie discovers that caring for others helps us grow too—and that sometimes, the ones others overlook have the most important voices of all.

Elsie and the Sky That Needed to Rain explores how to recognize and release big, bottled-up feelings.

On a hot summer day when everything feels unsettled—from the bickering chickens to the heavy, silent sky—Elsie senses that something is wrong, even though she can’t quite name it.

When a powerful storm finally breaks, Elsie listens closely and realizes the Sky is doing exactly what she sometimes needs to do herself: letting all its feelings out at once. By responding with empathy and calm, Elsie helps both the storm and herself find relief, showing young readers that intense emotions can feel scary, but they don’t last—and that expressing them can make room for peace and renewal.

Elsie and the Sea is a lyrical picture book about a young girl who lives on a small island off the coast of Maine, where her closest companion is Cody, her plush gray-and-white sheepdog—who can talk, but only to her. When Cody slips from Elsie’s backpack and is lost during the island’s Fourth of July parade, Elsie is heartbroken and afraid she’ll never see him again.

As the day fades into night and a storm rolls in, Elsie turns to the Sea, trusting it with her quiet belief and love. What follows is a gentle, magical story about loss, hope, and the enduring bond between a child and her most cherished friend.

King Purrcival vs. the Cat-aplexy is a mythic, tongue-in-cheek origin story set in a golden age when cats ruled the world, dinosaurs served as their steeds, and naps were a sacred right.

When a mysterious condition called Cat-aplexy causes cats everywhere to collapse mid-stretch, the anxious but dignified King Purrcival turns to a brilliant (and slightly reckless) inventor for a cure. The solution—a solar-powered invention known as the PURR—restores motion with spectacular side effects, triggering hairballs, humming chests, and a feline revolt against scheduled napping.

With grand declarations, escalating absurdity, and a smug final flourish, the story reveals the secret history behind the modern cat’s purr—and why cats are certain they still rule the world.

Crooked Beak follows a newly hatched chick whose crooked beak sets her apart from the rest of the flock, making her feel conspicuous and alone in a barnyard full of matching yellow chicks. As she struggles to fit in and quietly absorbs the teasing of others, Crooked Beak becomes deeply aware of her own difference and begins to believe she must go somewhere else to belong. Night after night, she looks up at the moon and dreams of flying away—far beyond the barnyard—to a magical land on the moon where she might find other chickens like herself. With much hard work and practice, she teaches herself to fly – something most chickens do not do well.

 In one brave act, she uses her new flying skills to save a member of the flock from a fox, and in doing so realizes she never needed the approval of the flock to feel at home —only her own. By the end of the story, Crooked Beak understands that she belongs exactly where she is, and that her courage—not her appearance—defines who she is becoming.