Briar the goat lives on a little farm where children laugh and hayrides roll beneath glowing lights. He loves it there - but Briar feels everything a little too deeply. When the noise gets too loud, when the games go wrong, when the other animals pull away and the words sting harder than horns ever could, something hot rises in his chest like a fire with nowhere to go.
So Briar runs.
Deep into the forest, where the world grows quiet and something unexpected is waiting. Four creatures emerge from the shadows - a smoke-eared wolf named Anger, a great stag named Fear, an owl named Shame, and a glowing bear named Loneliness. They have followed Briar his whole life. And they have something important to say.
Grasshopper Farms: Wild Inside is a beautifully illustrated emotional literacy picture book for children ages 5-9. Written for every child who feels everything a little too deeply - and every parent searching for the words to help - this tender, lyrical story gently names the emotions children carry and shows them that even the wildest feelings inside us are not our enemies.
Perfect for:
Children experiencing big emotions or sensory overwhelmFamilies navigating anxiety, anger, or emotional dysregulationClassroom and therapy settings exploring emotional literacyBedtime read-alouds that spark meaningful conversationThe wild things were never in the woods. They were always inside him - waiting to be seen.