How Our Color Palette Helps Children Navigate Nighttime Fears
Nighttime often heightens children’s fears and avoidance behaviors. Here’s how the color palette in The Rabbit in the Moon guides young readers through those emotions and helps them feel safer in the dark.
Best Picture Books for Kindergarteners: Why The Rabbit in the Moon Is One of the Best
When parents search for the best picture books for kindergarteners, they are usually looking for more than a beautiful story. They want a book that helps with school starts, brave first steps, emotional language, and the moments when a child hesitates. That is exactly where The Rabbit in the Moon stands out.
Children’s Books for Anxiety: 17 Picture Books That Help Worried Kids Feel Understood
The best children’s books for anxiety do not tell worried kids to stop worrying. They help children recognize what they are feeling, see that they are not alone, and find language for whatever comes next.
Picture Books About Courage for Kids: Stories That Help Children Try Even When They’re Scared
The best picture books about courage for kids do more than tell children to be brave. These 15 read-alouds explore beginning, fear, mistakes, change, belonging, persistence, and the small acts of courage children practice every day.
SEL Books for Hesitant Kids: Teacher, Counselor, and Parent Read-Alouds That Actually Help
Some children do not need louder encouragement. They need better emotional language, safer first steps, and stories that actually understand hesitation. These SEL books for hesitant kids help teachers, counselors, and parents turn read-aloud time into something genuinely useful.
How My Dog Lou Helped Inspire Yabbit the Rabbit’s Character Design
When we hit a creative wall designing Yabbit the Rabbit, I took my dog Lou on long walks and found unexpected inspiration for our children’s book character.
How We Created Yabbit the Rabbit (and Made Him Stand Out)
A behind-the-scenes look at how we designed Yabbit the Rabbit to stand out among famous rabbit characters, with sketches and a video from The Rabbit in the Moon.
6 Mental Benefits of Reading to Children Every Night: Why Bedtime Stories Build More Than Literacy
Reading to children every night is more than a sweet bedtime habit. It can help build emotional security, language, attention, imagination, empathy, and confidence. For hesitant children, the right bedtime story can also make big feelings feel safer and tiny brave steps feel possible.
Treating Color as a Character: Final Color Palette Reveal for The Rabbit in the Moon
Rod delivered the final color palette for The Rabbit in the Moon, and it’s a major milestone. In our book, color isn’t just visual, it’s emotional, helping children work through nighttime fears, hesitation, and avoidance behaviors.
Bringing The Rabbit in the Moon to Life Through Color: Early Illustration Tests
Rod shared the first color tests for The Rabbit in the Moon, and seeing the illustrations shift from outlines to atmospheric palettes is transforming the story. Here’s how color brings Yabbit the Rabbit’s world to life.
Nearly Finished! Reviewing 32 Page Illustrations for The Rabbit in the Moon
Rod and I are nearly finished outlining the 32 illustrations for The Rabbit in the Moon. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at our collaborative process, what we’ve learned, and our ongoing journey to finalize Yabbit the Rabbit’s design.
Creating Yabbit the Rabbit: Merging Fan-Favorite Character Designs
Our community voted on their favorite character sketches for Yabbit the Rabbit, and Rod has now combined the top choices into one design. Here’s how your feedback is shaping our children’s picture book character from the Rabbit in the Moon.
How We’re Designing a Unique Yabbit the Rabbit: Behind the Scenes of Our Creative Collaboration
Rod and I are refining our collaboration as we bring Yabbit the Rabbit to life. Here’s how we balance creativity, illustration, and character design to build a memorable hero for The Rabbit in the Moon.
Second Round of Page Illustrations for The Rabbit in the Moon
Rod just sent over the second round of page illustrations for The Rabbit in the Moon, and the artwork is stunning. Here’s how we collaborate, review, and refine each page while keeping creativity at the heart of the process.
Help Us Choose the New Yabbit the Rabbit! First Color Character Sketches
We’re sharing the first color sketches of the redesigned Yabbit the Rabbit! Watch the video, compare the options, and tell us which version you love most as we bring our picture-book character to life.
Six Months Without My Mother: Honoring Her Through Yabbit the Rabbit
Six months after my mother’s passing from Alzheimer’s, I share how writing seven versions of Yabbit the Rabbit, including The Rabbit in the Moon, helped me honor her original idea, remember her final night, and create a story rooted in memory, culture, and love.
How I Review Illustrations for The Rabbit in the Moon
A behind-the-scenes look at how I review new illustrations for The Rabbit in the Moon, using Google Slides mockups, text-image balance, scene accuracy, and “show, don’t tell” collaboration with illustrator Rod.
Redesigning Yabbit the Rabbit: Evolving from Anthropomorphic to Animal Character
The latest Yabbit the Rabbit sketches mark a major design evolution! Learn how illustrator Rod Lazo reimagined Yabbit and introduced new mythological characters for The Rabbit in the Moon.
Evolving the Yabbit the Rabbit Brand: From Storybook to Emotional Connection
As The Rabbit in the Moon evolves, so does the Yabbit the Rabbit brand. Learn how this new story refines Yabbit’s personality, introduces supporting characters with purpose, and strengthens the emotional connection behind the brand’s core message: “Trying is Brave.”
Launching the Yabbit Rabbit Website: Laying the Foundation for The Rabbit in the Moon
The first version of our website for Yabbit the Rabbit is finally live! Even without finished artwork, launching early ensures our readers and followers can verify our project and follow along. Here’s how I built the foundation and why I’m now focused on building an email list before the release of The Rabbit in the Moon.