Thunder is rolling over Cinnamon Valley, and Kai is sure the Sky Monster is coming to get him. A picture book about being scared and brave at the same time.
Kai loves splashing in Pebble Creek and chasing butterflies. Then the sky goes dark, and BOOM. He runs inside and climbs onto his favorite chair, because the Sky Monster is coming, and it is very loud.
Wally the Owl and Yuna the Cat don’t tell him it isn’t scary. They show him how to take a deep breath, take one small step, and count from the flash to the boom. Step by step, Kai gets all the way to the door. And then outside.
A mode is a mindset a child can switch on when a moment calls for it. Every Kai à la Mode book teaches one, and ends with a tool a four-year-old can say out loud. Tap a sticker to activate it.
What mode do you need right now?
A red merle pup with sky-blue eyes who runs at the world with his tail up. Curious, friendly, a little impatient, and never above being scared. Every one of those wobbles is a story.
When Kai needs one, the friend who owns it is the one who shows up.
A warm, sun-dusted valley where Pebble Creek winds through the meadows and Clover Hill looks out over the sunset. Every region is home to a mode.
The last pages of the book put the lesson in a child’s hands. Three steps to Brave Mode, and a way to make the next storm smaller.
In through the nose, out through the mouth. The storm is still there. So is Kai.
Not the whole way to the door. Just off the chair.
Then another. Scared and brave at the same time.
Watch for the lightning. Then count slowly until you hear the thunder. Every five seconds is about a mile. If the number gets bigger each time, the storm is moving away. And when thunder roars, go indoors.
Two scenes from the book, Kai splashing in Pebble Creek and the meadow in bloom, to print at home or in the classroom. No sign-up, just paper and crayons.
Download the PDFRead it tonight. Use it the next time the sky goes dark.
