Gratitude Led Me to writing a Children’s Book About Courage and Belonging
The first time I held Oliver, he was stealing the other puppies’ toys and dragging their blankets around the room. He had a funny little nose and seemed completely uninterested in making a good impression. I had gone to the breeder hoping for a brown puppy. Oliver was white with brown patches. Then I picked him up, felt his little tail wagging, and knew he was coming home with me.
Nine days after he arrived, I got a phone call about a brown puppy. Oliver’s brother had been returned to the breeder. He was ill, and she was worried about him. We brought him home, set him down near Oliver in a safe outdoor pen, and watched them recognize each other almost instantly.They played and tumbled as if they had never been apart. That night they slept together.
We named him Jagger. He recovered, and the two brothers have been side by side ever since.
I did not know then that their reunion would become The Day Jagger Felt Brave: A Puppy Reunion Story, the first book in The Adventures of Oliver and Jagger. I certainly did not know it would give me away to speak to children about being afraid, finding comfort, and discovering that they are enough.But when people ask me why I wrote a children’s book, this is where the answer begins: with two puppies, an unexpected phone call, and a feeling I could not forget.
A Different Kind of Story for Me
I have always loved a short, meaningful story. For years I wrote articles for a local magazine. I have also contributed chapters to five collaborative books, including the latest one, The Gratitude Project, published by Kate Butler Books. I host The Mindset Playground podcast and am a certified trainer in Jack Canfield’s Success Principles. Storytelling and teaching have taught me to look for the useful lesson in a lived experience. A single chapter or article feels natural to me. A children’s book seemed like a much bigger leap.
While I was working on my chapter for The Gratitude Project, the idea kept returning. At first I thought I might write one story about Oliver and Jagger. But the more I watched them, the more I saw that their everyday adventures offered many stories. One brother is curious and confident; the other is more cautious and sensitive. They explore, make mistakes, look out for each other, and try again. It is hard to live with those two without imagining what they might teach us.
Hosting that podcast has given me the privilege of hearing people describe the moments that changed their lives. I am drawn to stories of courage and reinvention, especially the kind that begin with an ordinary choice. I began to wonder whether I could tell such a story for a child. What if a little dog could show that bravery does not require the fear to disappear first?
What if a little dog could show that bravery does not require the fear to disappear first?
I had another reason to try. In 2019, I heard Jack Canfield speak about personal development. I remember thinking, “Why doesn’t everybody know this stuff?” His ideas about confidence, responsibility, self-esteem, and our response to challenges stayed with me. I wondered what might have been different if I had encountered some of those lessons as a child. Would I have trusted myself sooner? Would I have understood that a difficult day did not define me?
I cannot answer those questions for my younger self. I can write stories that offer children a gentler way to meet them now. I wanted them to see the message in what Oliver and Jagger do: one puppy feels scared, his brother stays close, and together they find a way forward.
The Two Brothers Behind the Book
Before there was Oliver or Jagger, there was Meeka. My Shih Tzu was my companion for sixteen years. She was with me through so much that imagining our home without her was painful. As she grew older, our veterinarian suggested bringing a puppy home while she was still well enough to help teach it the rhythms of our family.
I found a breeder nearby with a litter of Shorkies, a Shih Tzu and Yorkshire terrier mix. All the brown puppies had been spoken for, but there was a little male available. At the breeder’s home, he raced around making mischief. When I held him, the puppy I thought I wanted stopped mattering. Oliver was the one.
He and Meeka took to each other immediately. Oliver had an older companion to follow, and Meeka had someone new to welcome into the house. Watching them bond made me grateful that we had listened to the veterinarian’s advice.
Then came the call about Oliver’s brother. When the breeder asked whether I was still interested in a brown puppy, my first thought was that I would never give Oliver up. She explained that she was asking us to take another puppy, one whose first placement had not worked out. He was sick and taking antibiotics. She was honest that she did not know how he would do. We brought him home because we wanted him to have a safe place and a chance to recover.
I still do not know exactly what happened while Jagger was away, and I do not pretend to know what he felt. I know what I saw that day: a small, shivering puppy put down beside his brother, followed almost immediately by play. Jagger bonded with Oliver before he bonded with us. Meeka helped welcome him too. He grew stronger, and the brothers became inseparable.
Today, their differences are part of what makes them such good companions. Oliver is quick to investigate. Jagger is more sensitive to loud noises and storms. If Jagger barks, Oliver comes to see what is happening. I love watching them find reassurance in each other without needing to be exactly alike.
Meeka died not long after the boys came into our lives. Losing her was heartbreaking. I remain grateful that she was there to meet them and help them settle in. In that brief time together, she gave us a beautiful bridge from one chapter of our family’s life to the next.
The Child I Remember Being
The meaning of the puppies’ story grew deeper when I thought about children who might read it.During my interview with Denise McCormick about the book, I shared something I had rarely talked about: I spent a lot of time in hospital as a child. I remember being there without my mother beside me every moment. Behind my bed was a window, and I could see other children playing in a room I was too sick to enter.
That memory has stayed with me. A child can be surrounded by people who care and still feel alone for a while. I remember looking out that window and wanting to join the others. When I think about a child holding my book in a hospital room, or in a place that does not feel like home, I want to offer the kind of company a story can give.
Jagger’s experience is his own, and a child’s situation may be much more complicated than a puppy’s reunion. I do not promise that every separation ends the way Oliver and Jagger’s did. What I hope a child can take from them is the comfort of being seen. It is okay to miss someone. It is okay to feel scared, and as long as you have yourself, you are never alone.
It is okay to miss someone. It is okay to feel scared, and as long as you have yourself, you are never alone.
That is also why the book is for the adult reading aloud. A parent, caregiver, teacher, librarian, or volunteer may notice a child pause over a picture or ask why Jagger is afraid. Stories make room for those conversations. We can listen before we offer an answer. We can ask when they have felt brave or what helps them feel safe.
An adult does not need a perfect speech. Try asking, “What do you think Jagger needs right now?” or “Who helps you when something feels new?” If the child wants to talk, let the conversation follow their answer. If they would rather turn the page, that is fine too. Reading together can simply be a quiet moment of connection.
I hope, one day, to help get copies into places such as Ronald McDonald Houses and children’s hospitals. It is a dream I am still learning how to make possible. For now, I can write the stories with that child in mind: the one looking for a little comfort, a little laughter, and a reminder that they matter.
Maddi Brings Their World to Life
I did not want the books to simply show two cute dogs. I wanted readers to recognize Oliver and Jagger as the brothers I know. That made the choice of illustrator deeply personal.
My niece, Madison “Maddi” Martin, is sixteen and has loved art for years. We share a birthday, June 14, and we have always had a special bond. Whenever I contributed to a collaborative book, she wanted to see it and have a copy. I had seen her drawings and knew how much life she could give these characters. I asked whether she would illustrate my children’s book, and she was excited to try.
I sent her the story and gave her room to make it her own. As the drawings arrived, one or two at a time, I could see that she understood the boys. She also paid attention to details I had mentioned in conversation but had left out of the manuscript. Jagger likes to watch television with his dad; Maddi drew that scene and reminded me it belonged in the story. We added it. That moment made the book feel like something we had truly built together.
I think about what this first project means for her. At sixteen, Maddi can hold a published book filled with her artwork. Children can look at those pages and see what she imagined. I hope she feels
proud of that. I am certainly proud of her, and I love that we get to share this beginning.
What I Hope Children Carry With Them
In The Day Jagger Felt Brave, Oliver goes to his new home first. Jagger’s first attempt at a forever home does not work out, and he eventually joins his brother. Their reunion becomes the heart of the story. It gives a young reader a way to talk about uncertainty, friendship, and the relief of finding a place to belong.
That first book is only the beginning of The Adventures of Oliver and Jagger. Their everyday experiences give me room to explore kindness, confidence, gratitude, and resilience without turning the story into a lecture. I want children to enjoy the adventure first. If they recognize something of themselves in Jagger’s worry or Oliver’s care, the message has found its way in.
That is why I think a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or family friend might share this story with a child. They can read about two real brothers and use their reunion to open a gentle conversation about feeling scared or finding a friend. I chose encouraging words that children can understand and repeat. At the end of the book, the special bedtime prayer offers a quiet moment to end the day, and the “I AM” statements give children simple words to return to when they need reassurance. My hope is that the story becomes one a child asks to hear again, with a message that feels more familiar each time.
The more I write for children, the more I think about how powerful a few ordinary words can be. “I’m here.” “Let’s try again.” “You did something brave.” A child may hear them from an adult, see them acted out by two puppies, and eventually learn to say them to themselves. We can make those words specific: “You asked for help when you needed it” or “You tried again even though you were nervous.” That is what I mean when I say I want the books to help children believe in the brave heart already inside them.
When Denise asked what Oliver and Jagger might tell children if they could talk, my answer came quickly: it is okay to be brave and okay to be scared. Remember that you are enough and you are never alone. I hope a child can close the book holding onto that thought. I hope the adult beside
them can, too.
When a Community Joined the Story
When I first imagined this series, I pictured Maddi drawing and me writing, with Oliver and Jagger providing plenty of material. I did not picture how many people in our community would become part of its beginning. Friends, family, readers, and local businesses stepped forward to share the book and cheer us on. A local drug store even connected the boys’ illustrations with a colouring contest.Watching people make space for a young illustrator’s work and a new children’s story has been moving.
When the book was released in September 2026, friends, families, and local readers helped it reach children beyond our own community. Maddi and I were thrilled to see people respond to a story that began with two puppies in our backyard. More than any milestone, I treasure hearing that a child has connected with Jagger or that an adult has used his story to start a conversation.
I often return to the moment before there was a book at all: a puppy I had not planned to bring home, meeting his brother again in our backyard. That scene made me want to tell this story. The response from readers reminds me how many of us recognize the need to feel welcome, loved, and capable of moving through a hard moment.
Writing a children’s book has stretched me in a new direction. I had written many chapters and articles, but creating a whole world for young readers with Maddi asked me to trust a different part of myself. It gave us a project to share across generations. It gave Oliver and Jagger’s true story a new life on the page. Most of all, it gave me a chance to speak to the child I remember being, and to children I may never meet.
If you ask why I wrote a children’s book, I can give you the long answer about writing, personal development, gratitude, and one very special niece. The simplest answer is this: I once watched two little brothers find each other again, and I wanted every child who needs the story to know they deserve comfort and a place to belong.
Some of our biggest lessons really do come from two very little dogs.
Meet the expert:
LouAnne Hunt is a children’s book author, longtime magazine writer, and host of The Mindset Playground podcast, where she shares stories of courage and personal growth. Drawing on her experience as a certified trainer in Jack Canfield’s Success Principles and her own childhood memories of feeling alone in hospital, she writes about how stories can help children talk about fear and belonging. Her first children’s book, The Day Jagger Felt Brave, was inspired by the real-life reunion of her two dogs, Oliver and Jagger.
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