Stories That Start Conversations

Children’s books have a unique way of staying with us.

Many of us can still remember the stories we read when we were young — the characters, the lessons, and the way those books made us feel. Long before we fully understand the world, stories begin shaping how we see it.

Some books make us laugh.

Some comfort us.

And some quietly help us understand things we didn’t quite have words for yet.

That’s the beauty of children’s books. They take big ideas and make them approachable.

Ideas like kindness.

Belonging.

Worry.

Friendship.

But they also do something else that I think is really important.

They open the door for conversation.

Kids naturally have questions about the world around them. They notice things adults sometimes overlook, and they often feel things deeply even when they don’t quite know how to explain those feelings.

At the same time, parents, caregivers, and teachers are often trying to figure out how to talk about certain topics in ways that feel thoughtful and age-appropriate.

Stories help bridge that gap.

Sometimes a child hears something in a story and asks a question that leads to a meaningful conversation.

Sometimes a parent realizes a page creates the perfect moment to talk about something important.

And sometimes a teacher uses a story to help a classroom explore a topic together.

In that way, children’s books become more than just stories.

They become a starting point.

A way to help kids feel understood.

A way to help families connect.

A way for teachers to open conversations that matter.

That’s what drew me to writing my first children’s book.

Benny’s Tummy Monster is a story meant to help kids make sense of feelings they may not fully understand yet. But it’s also meant to create space for conversation.

The kind that might happen at bedtime after the last page is turned.

Or in the car on the way to school.

Or around the dinner table when a child suddenly asks a question about the story.

My hope is that the book helps kids feel seen, while also giving parents, caregivers, and teachers a gentle way to start conversations that might otherwise feel hard to begin.

The book will be releasing later this year, and I’m looking forward to sharing more about the journey behind it in the months ahead.

Sometimes the simplest stories can open the most meaningful conversations.

— June M. Everett