Fellow the Fox
Curious, loyal, and full of questions, Fellow is learning that uncertainty does not have to stop him from exploring what comes next.
For Children
Welcome to Sprouting Strong Souls and the Riverwoods Forest.
Stories designed to help grow emotional resilience, improved coping skills, and deeper relational connections for children and the adults who care for them.
The child isn't the only person invited to grow.
Created for the grown-up reading alongside them, too.
Each story closes with a clear explanation of the evidence-informed strategy woven into the adventure, conversation prompts families and professionals can use to explore it together, and an activity that helps move the idea from the page into everyday life. The goal is not only to give children language for coping, healing, and growing, but to give the adults beside them useful language and practices they can learn from, model, and use themselves.
Riverwoods Forest is home to friends who are curious, imperfect, funny, sometimes uncertain, and always still growing. They make mistakes, misunderstand one another, try hard things, need help, discover strengths, and sometimes need to repair what happened between them.
The Forest Friends aren't here to teach children how to be perfect, they're growing too. They are here to guide children and adults to learn how to nourish the moments for individual and relational resilient growth.
Looking for something you can use today?
Begin with 5 Free Soul Seeds
Our free Soul Seeds cards are now featured on the Water the Roots home page, where families can begin with five nature-inspired reflections for connection and everyday growth.
Water the Roots Shop
Meet the Forest Friends
Nine friends. Many ways to grow.
Marlow the Otter
Curious and adventurous, Marlow loves exploring the stream and discovering what becomes possible when we slow down long enough to notice.
Pebble the Turtle
Thoughtful and observant, Pebble reminds her friends that feelings can change and that there can be more than one way to understand a moment.
Sunny the Squirrel
Quick, energetic, and full of ideas, Sunny is learning how to use all that energy with greater intention without losing the spark that makes Sunny, Sunny.
Ash the Raccoon
Capable, inventive, and determined, Ash likes figuring out how things work and is learning to speak clearly about what she needs, thinks, and believes.
Bramble the Badger
Gruff around the edges and deeply interested in the things he loves, Bramble is discovering that being understood does not require becoming someone else.
Joey the Blue Jay
Observant and always noticing what is happening across Riverwoods Forest, Joey is learning that knowing something and knowing what to do with it are not always the same thing.
Chance the Elk
Loyal, determined, and happiest when he is part of the team, Chance brings his own strengths, challenges, courage, and way of doing things to Riverwoods Forest.
Walter the Oak
Old, steady, and deeply rooted, Walter has seen a great deal—but he does not always have the answer. Often, his greatest gift is making room for someone else to discover theirs.
Stories That Grow Beyond the Page
A Sprouting Strong Souls™ story doesn't end when the adventure does. Each book includes pages created especially for children and the adults reading alongside them.
What Was Growing Beneath the Story?
A concise explanation of the evidence-informed strategy, principle, or meaning beneath the adventure.
Questions Beneath the Canopy
Curiosity-opening questions for wondering together rather than finding one right answer.
Try It Together
Simple activities that bring learning into real life through practice, play, or conversation.