Warm, gentle picture books about kindness, courage and big feelings, starring Trixie, a real adopted dog with one ear up and one ear down.
See the books
A picture-book series for every child who has ever felt scared, new or a little different, and loved just the way they are. Every book ends with A Moment with Trixie, with simple questions to talk about together.
Book 1
Trixie was born in a barn full of soft straw. Then a new family carried her home, where everything was huge and even her own shadow made her jump! Day by day, she learned to trust them and to love them too.
Ages 3 to 8 · Paperback and Kindle
Book 2
Sad, mad, scared, silly, proud, calm and happy: Sarah and Trixie share twelve big feelings face to face. A gentle tool for home, classrooms and counselors. All feelings are okay.
Ages 2 to 7 · Paperback and Kindle
Book 3
The door, the big porch steps, Judah the cat and especially Mama Duck: everything feels scary to little Trixie. Step by wobbly step, she learns that being brave means doing it anyway.
Ages 3 to 8 · Paperback and Kindle
Book 4
Trixie wakes up grumpy and chases the sheep and the chickens, until Sarah reminds her: "It's okay to be grumpy, but we still need to be kind."
Ages 3 to 8 · Paperback and Kindle
A first chapter book for reading aloud together
Something is crying in the woods behind Jim and Ginny's house. It's a little lost calf, far from her mama, and very fond of blackberries. With two walkie-talkies, a big red barn and a trail of juicy blackberries, the children set out to bring Molly home. Inspired by a true story.
Ages 5 to 9 · Paperback and Kindle
Trixie is a real red tri-color Australian Shepherd. She was born in a barn on a horse farm, and she came home to Peggy's family as a tiny puppy.
Her left ear stands up and her right ear flops down. As she grew up, that floppy ear started to stand up a little more, but she's always been loved just the way she is.
As a puppy she was scared of almost everything, even her own shadow. She nipped at the sheep's heels, sent the chickens flying and had to learn to slow down at the door. Those days became the stories in these books.
Peggy Slocum works with high school students in a life skills classroom. She and her husband, Jack, were therapeutic foster parents, and she knows how much a simple story can help a child feel safe and understood.
Trixie grew up on the family's little homestead with three sheep, free-range chickens, Mama Duck and Judah the cat. Today the family is busy building a new house, and they can't wait to fill it with farm animals again.
Peggy and Jack also wrote The Smilie Program, the simple system they used to help children in their care make good choices. They kept the battle in the bag and let kids stay in charge of their own day. A new edition is on the way, along with a new edition of Peggy's mystery for older readers, Web of Deceit.
