Hey, I’m Lauren. Welcome to Happily Ever Elephants!
When I had my first baby, I couldn’t wait to fill his bookshelves with beautiful, whimsical books. I chose stories at random and loved nothing more than snuggling on the glider with his downy head tucked under my chin, reading together before bed. But this changed after my second baby arrived.
After a series of grueling challenges on the home front, reading with my boys became more important than ever. I turned to books to help us navigate the tough times we faced, and I quickly realized the stories we read together had to be more than magical. They had to be meaningful, too.
So I researched and read and read some more, searching for quality stories about everything from perseverance to diverse families to learning to love our unique characteristics.
When our family began reading with intention, our challenges felt more manageable and our conversations became powerful.
I grew so passionate about the positive impact of children’s literature on growing minds and hearts that I eventually stopped practicing law to become an elementary school librarian and children’s literature blogger.
Our family continues to find magic in children’s books, and I can’t wait to help you discover how stories can become the heart of your homes, too.
Imagine…
- Having access to the very books that would make conveying important values and lessons not only easy, but enjoyable as well;
- Browsing through specially curated lists of books for kids at every age, knowing they’ve been handpicked to help you help your children with their current challenges;
- Instilling a love of story in your children, while simultaneously empowering them with confidence and tools to help them tackle challenging situations; and
- Feeling delighted when story time becomes a fulfilling family experience, fostering laughter, curiosity and — most importantly — connection
You can make this happen, and Happily Ever Elephants is here to help!
I started Happily Ever Elephants to help you begin to read with intention. When we dig deeper into stories, we can pull out valuable character building concepts and drive home important lessons organically and not through a parenting lecture bound to get nothing but dramatic eye rolls from your kids.
Happily Ever Elephants can help your family tackle challenges with confidence and purposes. And the best part? When you make story time magical and meaningful, you’ll be well on your way towards raising lifelong readers who place tremendous value on books.
FEATURED IN
Some of our most popular book lists include:
- 50 Kids Books About Kindness To Help You Cultivate Compassion in Kids!
- Children’s Books About Feelings to Help You Raise Emotionally Intelligent Kids!
- Combat Gender Stereotypes With the Best Books for Boys
- 25 Growth Mindset Books for Kids to Turn I CAN’T into I CAN’T YET
- Have no Fear! The Best Books for Kids with Anxiety
What Parents Are Saying:
“I just want to say an elephant-sized thank you … My 4.5 year old daughter has anxiety about new situations…, so I ordered about half your anxiety book list. It was so powerful watching her response to the stories. They served as great leap pads for further conversations … So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking the time to curate such a thoughtful and appropriate list.”
— Modern Imagination Toys
“Your curated lists are indeed the best I’ve seen. Thank you so much for putting them together and for inspiring all of us to read more to our kids. I have a 5 year old and a 10 month old and I view books as tools to teach them about citizenship, kindness, empathy and social awareness. And your lists are always spot on! Thank you for helping me in my quest to raise kind, socially aware human beings.”
— Helen
Guess what?
I’m just an email away if you need a recommendation or help with a reading challenge your kids may be facing. You can reach me at lauren@happilyeverelephants.com, and you can also find more recommendations and inspiration on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
