Sunny is a young giraffe with polka-dot patches and a yellow daisy behind her ear. In the Sunny Savanna she meets Zara, Otto, Scout, and friends — and learns that the biggest adventures begin with the smallest steps. A kind hello. A brave try. A deep breath at bedtime.
Picture books for ages 3–5 that take early-childhood feelings seriously — without ever talking down to the children feeling them.
Sunny is a young giraffe with polka-dot patches and a yellow daisy tucked behind her right ear. She lives in the Sunny Savanna with her best friends — Zara the zebra, Otto the elephant, tiny Scout the meerkat, and a growing cast who join the adventure as the series goes on. Together they discover that the biggest adventures begin with the smallest steps.
The series is built one feeling at a time. Sunny's Great Big Hello is about the courage to introduce yourself. Sunny's Tall, Tall Feelings is about naming what you're feeling and trusting it can pass. Sunny Tries and Tries is about perseverance. Sunny's Bedtime Stretch is about settling down. Each book takes one early-childhood theme, treats it with rhythm and warmth, and trusts that small readers can handle a real feeling if you give them the words for it.
The voice is the voice of read-aloud. Rhythmic prose, refrains you can almost sing, full-color illustrations, and a clear arc you can finish in one sitting. At the back of every book, a warm "Note for Grown-Ups" turns the story into practical tools: questions to ask, phrases to try, a tiny activity to do together.
This is the picture book series the author wished existed when she was looking for the right book for her own small readers. It is built for bedtime, for circle time, for a quiet afternoon on the rug. It is also built to grow with the child. The friends Sunny makes here are the start of a larger universe — each one of them is destined for a series of their own.
Each volume takes one early-childhood theme and treats it with warmth. Book 1 is available now. Books 2 through 10 are forthcoming, on a schedule that will reach families before the children grow out of the audience.
Sunny is new to the Sunny Savanna. With a deep breath and a great big hello, she meets Zara, Otto, and Scout — and discovers a beautiful truth: a great big hello is where every friendship begins.
Buy on Amazon →Some feelings are tiny and some feelings are tall. Sunny learns to name what she's feeling and trust that even the biggest feelings can pass.
Some things are hard the first time. And the second. Sunny learns that trying again is its own kind of grown-up.
A walk through the savanna becomes a walk through the rainbow. Yellow daisies, red poppies, blue sky — Sunny finds a color in everything.
When there's only one of something good, what do you do? Sunny learns that some treasures get bigger when you split them.
A long, calm stretch from neck to tail. A deep breath. Sunny finds a gentle routine for settling down when the savanna goes quiet.
A new face on the edge of the savanna. Sunny learns that the difference between a stranger and a friend is one curious hello.
Being brave isn't the same as being big. Sunny meets a shy lion cub and discovers that quiet courage is the bravest kind.
Sorry is a small word that does a big job. Sunny learns the difference between sorry-because-caught and sorry-because-it-mattered.
A whole year of hellos, tall feelings, brave hooves, and bedtime stretches. Sunny looks back — and her songbird friend Tia helps her sing it.
Seven characters carry the series. Each one earns a place in Sunny's circle — and a series of their own, somewhere down the road.
A young giraffe with polka-dot patches and a yellow daisy behind her right ear. Kind, curious, brave-hearted. The first to say hello.
Classic black-and-white stripes, a small pink wildflower behind her right ear, a fluffy mohawk mane. Cheerful, loyal, the first friend Sunny makes.
Soft gray with big floppy ears and a yellow daisy behind his right ear — matching Sunny's. Gentle, wise, the calm sage of the group.
Sandy-tan with dark "sunglasses" eye markings and a tiny green leaf perched on his head. Small but mighty — the lookout of the savanna.
Sandy-brown with darker spots, tufted ears, and a bright purple bandana around her neck. Playful, kind-hearted, a little clumsy in the best way.
Golden-tawny with the very beginning of a mane and an ember-orange flower behind his right ear. Gentle, sensitive, shy despite his lion heritage.
Soft lilac with golden wing tips, a golden chest, and a small crest. Wise, musical, observant — she sings what no one else can say.
A note on what's next: each of Sunny's friends is destined for a series of their own. Once Sunny's Sunny Savanna Adventures is complete, the Sunny Savanna keeps growing — with Zara's series, Otto's series, and the rest. The cast you meet here is the cast you'll know for years.
Illustrated throughout. Designed for lap-reading and circle-time alike.
Written for read-aloud. Refrains you can almost sing.
A small thing to do together when the story ends.
Practical parenting tools. Questions to ask, phrases to try.
A peek at the next adventure, so the next bedtime has something to look forward to.
Direct email reaches Sunny Acorn. Photos of small readers with the book very welcome. Honest reviews even more welcome.
sunny@beachlifepublishing.com →