The Caring Critters Series
Social-emotional lessons in stories kids can’t wait to read again.
What’s the Caring Critters Series?
The Caring Critters series helps children ages 4–7 build emotional intelligence, friendship skills, and confidence through heartwarming, relatable stories. Each book features a lovable animal who teaches a key social-emotional skill in a way kids understand—and enjoy!
Created by kindergarten teacher Zeba McGibbon, these books are classroom-tested and parent-approved, offering both a sweet story and practical SEL tools.
Why Parents & Teachers Love Caring Critters Books:
- 💡 Clear lessons in feelings, friendship, and problem-solving
- 🐢 Relatable animal characters kids adore
- 🎨 Bright, colorful illustrations
- 🏫 Perfect for SEL lessons, counseling, or bedtime reading
- 📖 Practical tips and discussion resources included at the end
Current and Upcoming Books in the Series:
- Felipe the Feeling Frog – A fun journey to understanding emotions
- Trixie the Thoughtful Turtle – A guide to friendship, empathy, and thoughtful choices
- Charlie the Calm Cheetah (coming soon)
- Harriet the Helpful Hedgehog (coming soon)
Who These Books Are For:
- Parents looking for children’s social skills books
- Teachers seeking SEL books for PreK–1st grade
- Counselors and caregivers supporting emotional growth
- Kids who need tools to handle big feelings and make thoughtful choices
Bring the Caring Critters into your classroom or home today!
The Caring Critters Series
Felipe the Feeling Frog
Walk around the neighborhood with Felipe the Feeling Frog, who learns that there is no such thing as a bad feeling! In this kid-friendly social and emotional learning book, children will learn different strategies for regulating emotions and identifying their feelings.
Trixie the Thoughtful Turtle
Join Trixie the Thoughtful Turtle as she learns how making thoughtful decisions. This charming book teaches children about making choices, the impact of their actions on others, and the importance of showing expected behavior. Perfect for young readers and a valuable tool for educators and parents, Trixie the Thoughtful Turtle helps kids navigate social-emotional learning with a smile.
In the News
The Caring Critters series has been featured in local media for its unique way of teaching children social-emotional skills through story.
📚 Order your Caring Critters books now and build your SEL library.
Reviews of The Caring Critters
Meet the Caring Critters Team!
Zeba McGibbon – Author
Zeba McGibbon is a teacher, curriculum creator, and children’s book author. Through her curriculum creation company, Kindergarten Cafe, Zeba supports early childhood educators from arrival to dismissal with classroom-tested strategies and materials. She firmly believes in the power of teaching the whole child. Her proudest moments as a teacher have been seeing her students use the strategies that she has taught them to calm down, work with others, stay on task, and more! Her goal is to help teachers see these successes in their students too!
Denyse Walker – Illustrator
Denyse Walker is an artist and teacher turned children’s book illustrator. Graduating with a BFA in Art Education from Massachusetts College of Art, Denyse brings a unique perspective to her collaboration with her cousin, author Zeba McGibbon. Beyond her creative pursuits, you’ll often find Denyse alongside her husband, cheering on their boys from the sidelines of a soccer field or going for a woodsy walk with the family dog Piper.
✨ Collect the Caring Critters series and give kids the SEL tools to grow
Related Curriculum
Felipe the Feeling Frog Companion Curriculum
Trixie the Thoughtful Turtle Companion Curriculum
Author Visits
Reach out to thekindergartencafe@gmail.com to inquire about author and/or illustrator visits.
More Social-Emotional Resources
Learn all how best to support your students and children with important social-emotional skills with my podcasts and blog posts and shop all of my related social-emotional resources!
