Clarabelle's

Interactive picture books about a little beagle learning to be brave

Clarabelle is afraid of almost everything — rabbits, squirrels on the fence, dogs bigger than she is. With help from her friends and her mom, she works it out one small brave step at a time.

For children ages 3 to 7, and the grown-ups reading with them.

Clarabelle is real

Clarabelle is a rescued beagle from Louisiana who came to us through a beagle rescue in southern Florida. We were told she had been let go because she refused to hunt.

She arrived loving and frightened of nearly everything. She was heartworm positive and went through the treatment twice. She weighs twenty pounds. She is afraid of rabbits.

She is also the sweetest beagle I have known, and I have known four.

Everything in these books is something she has actually done.

What the books are

Every Clarabelle story is built to be read out loud, together. The pages ask children to join in — to creep like Clarabelle creeps, to guess what the rabbits are thinking, to name what they do when they feel like hiding.

• Ages 3 to 7, paced for reading aloud
• Interactive prompts on the page, not saved for the end
• Feelings first — worry, courage, friendship, asking for help
• Warm and wholesome, at home, in the classroom, or in Sunday school

Clarabelle never becomes fearless. She gets one step braver, and that counts. We think that is a more honest thing to tell a frightened child than "there is nothing to be scared of."

Who reads Clarabelle's

Parents and grandparents. Aunts, uncles, godparents, family friends. Homeschool families. Private and Christian school teachers. Children's pastors and Sunday school teachers. Librarians, childcare providers, counselors, and the therapists who work with anxious little ones.

Anyone who reads out loud to a small person who is working something out.

Be first to know

The first Clarabelle book is being written now. Leave your name and we will tell you when it is ready — and send you free printable activity pages to use at home, in class, or in children's church.