✨ A magical SEL picture book · Ages 2–10

The Little
Potion Maker

Where every potion begins with love and a little magic. Join Talia and Gigi in the cozy cottage kitchen!

🛒 Buy on AmazonMore places to buy

🎮 Or play with Talia in the Magic Playroom →

Gigi and Talia stirring a glowing potion in the cottage kitchen🧪✨💜
🎮 ALL THE GAMES

The Magic Playroom

Stories, potions, colors and broom flights. Every game from the book lives right here. Pick one and play along with Talia!

Gigi and Talia making the Potion of Giggles
Story 1 · Potion of Giggles

Giggle Catcher

Sunshine drops, honey and fluffy feathers make the silliest potion ever. Pop them before they fall!

Talia holding the glowing blue Potion of Courage
Story 2 · Potion of Courage

Courage Match

Lion’s breath, brave berries and steady-heart dust. Find the matching pairs to brew the courage potion.

Talia yawning beside the purple Potion of Sweet Dreams
Story 3 · Potion of Sweet Dreams

Star Wishes

Moon petals and lullaby dust need a star. Tap the stars from 1 to 6 to draw a dreamy constellation.

Talia stirring her own pink potion Love That Follows You
Story 4 · Talia’s Own Potion

Make Talia’s Potion

A hug, brave berries, feathers and a tiny piece of her heart. Pick the right ingredients, but watch out for tricky ones!

Talia sleeping peacefully in her own bed with a glowing potion
Story 5 · Back Home

Brave Breaths

Even when the dark feels big, one slow breath helps. Breathe with the glowing moon and say “I can do this!”

Book cover of The Little Potion Maker by Poppy Moonstone

About the Book

Courage is already inside you

When young Talia finds a glowing book of potions in her Gigi’s cozy cottage, she learns that magic isn’t found in cauldrons or spells. It’s found in the feelings we nurture: bravery, calmness, kindness and sweet dreams. Perfect for bedtime, classroom circles, therapy sessions and family reading time.

👧 Ages 2–10💜 Social-emotional learning✨ Self-esteem📖 Read-aloud favorite🏫 Classroom ready
🦁Bravery
🌙Calm & sweet dreams
💗Kindness
🤭Joy & giggles
📖 Featured moment

The Discovery of the Potion Book

Every great adventure has a moment where everything changes. For Talia, it begins with a tiny door.

Talia discovers a tiny door in Gigi’s cottage
Chapter of wonder · 1A Tiny DoorTucked away in Gigi’s cozy cottage, Talia spots a little arched door she has never noticed before.
Gigi shows Talia the glowing Potion Pantry and the book of magical potions
Chapter of wonder · 2The Glowing PantryBehind it, shelves of jars shimmer in every color, and a very special book of magical potions glows softly.
Gigi and Talia brewing their first potion together
Chapter of wonder · 3The First PotionWith Gigi beside her, Talia opens the book, picks her ingredients and discovers her own special gift.

📖 Read what happens next

“May your heart always sparkle, your laughter bubble over, and your kindness be the strongest potion of all.”

Portrait of children’s author Poppy Moonstone

Meet Poppy Moonstone

Poppy is a psychotherapist and a dedicated child advocate who has spent her career helping children discover their inner strength. Through years of guiding young minds, she has learned that self-esteem is a kind of magic: quiet, powerful, and often the very thing that helps a child shine in difficult moments.

Inspired by her grandchildren, Poppy blends clinical wisdom with storybook wonder, creating tales that nurture emotional strength while filling hearts with enchantment.
🧠 Psychotherapist🛡️ Child advocate👵 Proud grandmother📖 Storyteller
Read Poppy’s storyWhy I wrote this book
🗺️ Explore the enchanted world

Step Inside

Meet the Characters

Talia, Gigi and the magical potions that hold big feelings.

Meet them →

For Schools

SEL activities, discussion questions and Mystery Reader visits.

For teachers →

Coming Soon

A new SEL book, the series and upcoming book fairs.

What’s next →
Children’s author Poppy Moonstone smiling, resting her chin on her hand🪄✨🧪
✨ Meet the author

Hi, I’m Poppy Moonstone

I love creating magical stories filled with imagination, friendship, and adventure! Welcome to my enchanted world, where a little magic and belief in yourself can make anything possible.

🧠 Psychotherapist🛡️ Child advocate👵 Proud grandmother📖 Children’s author💜 SEL storyteller
📖 Get the BookWhy I wrote it
📜 Author biography

Poppy’s Story

Long before she wrote about potions, Poppy Moonstone spent her days helping children find a different kind of magic: the quiet strength that lives inside each of them.

As a psychotherapist and dedicated child advocate, Poppy has spent her career supporting young people through big feelings, brave moments and the everyday ups and downs of growing up. Again and again, she saw the same truth unfold. When a child begins to believe in themselves, they begin to shine. Self-esteem, she learned, is a kind of magic: quiet, powerful, and often the very thing that carries a child through a difficult moment.

That belief became the heart of her storytelling. Poppy blends clinical wisdom with storybook wonder, weaving social-emotional learning into tales that feel like pure enchantment. Courage, calm, kindness and confidence are never handed out as lessons. Instead they are stirred into glowing potions, whispered by a loving grandmother and discovered, one ingredient at a time, by a curious little girl.

Poppy’s greatest inspiration lives close to home: her grandchildren. Their giggles, their questions and their wide-eyed wonder sparked the cozy cottage, the glowing Potion Pantry and the special bond between Talia and her Gigi. The Little Potion Maker is, at its core, a love letter to family and to the magic that passes from one generation to the next.

Today Poppy shares her stories with families at bedtime, with teachers in classroom circles and with counselors who help children name and understand their feelings. She loves visiting schools as a Mystery Reader, meeting young readers at book fairs, and is already brewing the next adventures in the series, including a brand-new social-emotional learning book coming soon.

With love and a little magic,
Poppy MoonstoneAuthor of The Little Potion Maker

💜 The heart behind the pages

Why I Wrote This Book

“I was inspired by my grandchildren, my love of magic, imagination and storytelling.” Every story begins with a spark. For this one, there were four.

My Grandchildren

Their curiosity, their giggles and the way they see wonder everywhere. Talia carries a little piece of each of them.

A Love of Magic

Secret doors, glowing jars and old books that seem to hum. I wanted children to step into a world that feels truly enchanted.

Helping Children Shine

Years of working with young minds showed me that self-esteem is real magic. A story can plant it gently, page by page.

The Power of Story

A good story holds a feeling safely until a child is ready to understand it, and it becomes a shared moment between child and grown-up.

The message I hope stays with every reader

Believe in yourself. Embrace what makes you unique. And remember, true magic comes from kindness, courage and friendship.

▶
Coming soon

Story Time with Poppy

Read-along videos, behind-the-scenes peeks and little reflections from Poppy, filmed right here in the enchanted world.

Invite Poppy to Your School

Classroom visits, Mystery Reader surprises and book fairs. Bring a sprinkle of potion magic to your young readers.

🏫 Schools & Mystery ReaderSee what’s next
🧚 Meet the characters

Two Magical Hearts

Friendship, curiosity and family love, all ready for adventure. Meet the little girl with a gift for potions and the grandmother who keeps the magic safe.

Talia stirring her own pink potion, Love That Follows You💗
The Little Potion Maker

Talia

Talia is a curious little girl with a magical imagination and a brave heart that sometimes needs a gentle reminder of how strong it already is. When she discovers Gigi’s glowing book of potions, she finds out she has a very special gift: creating potions that turn feelings into magic.

🔍 Curious spirit🌈 Magical imagination🦁 Brave heart🧪 A gift for potions
Favorite potion“Love That Follows You,” the one she invents herself
Special powerTurning big feelings into something she can understand
She teaches usBravery can start with one slow breath
Talia says“I can do this!”
Gigi and Talia making the Potion of Giggles🍯
Keeper of the Potion Pantry

Gigi

Gigi is Talia’s loving grandmother, the warm and playful heart of the cozy cottage. She knows every jar in the Potion Pantry by name, and she knows something even more important: potions can help, but the strongest magic is already inside you.

🤗 Endlessly loving🦉 Wise🤭 Playful🗝️ Keeper of secrets
Her treasureThe glowing book of potion recipes
Secret ingredientLove, always love
She teaches usLove makes courage grow. Kindness makes light.
Gigi says“Brave hearts always flap again.”
💞 Family love

Together, Talia and Gigi show that the most powerful potions are the ones we share with the people we love.

🧪 Characters in a bottle

The Magic Potions

Every potion in the book holds a feeling. Naming it is the first step to understanding it.

Feeling: Joy

Potion of Giggles

Sunshine drops, golden honey and fluffy feathers.

Laughter is a magic you can share.

Feeling: Bravery

Potion of Courage

Lion’s breath, brave berries and steady-heart dust.

Being brave means trying, even when you feel scared.

Feeling: Calm

Potion of Sweet Dreams

Moon petals, lullaby dust and a falling star.

A calm heart makes room for sweet dreams.

Feeling: Love

Love That Follows You

A hug, brave berries, a warm wish and a tiny piece of heart.

Love goes with you, wherever you are.

🏡 Enchanted places

Where the Magic Lives

Gigi and Talia in the cozy cottage kitchen
The heart of home

The Cozy Cottage

Warm candles, bubbling pots and the smell of honey. Gigi’s kitchen is where every potion begins.

Talia finds a tiny door in Gigi’s cottage
A secret waiting

The Tiny Door

A little arched door Talia has never noticed before. What could be on the other side?

Gigi shows Talia the glowing Potion Pantry
Glowing jars

The Potion Pantry

Shelves of shimmering jars in every color, and a very special book of magical potions.

🖼️ Explore the Gallery   🧪 Brew in the Potion Lab

📖 Read the whole story   🎨 Color the pictures

🏫 For teachers, librarians & counselors

Bring the Magic to Your Classroom

A social-emotional learning picture book for ages 2 to 10, written by a psychotherapist. Mystery Reader visits, book fairs, discussion guides and free activities.

✉️ Request a visitFree classroom ideas
💡 SEL, brewed into every page

Social-Emotional Learning

Each potion gently connects to the five core SEL competencies, giving children a magical language for real feelings.

🪞

Self-Awareness

Children name feelings like joy, worry and calm by matching them to a potion.

Potion of Giggles
🌬️

Self-Management

Slow “moon breaths” help children settle big feelings and find their calm.

Potion of Sweet Dreams
💗

Social Awareness

Kindness is the strongest ingredient. Readers think about how others feel.

Love That Follows You
🤝

Relationship Skills

Talia and Gigi model trust, encouragement and family love.

Gigi & Talia
🧭

Responsible Choices

Choosing the right ingredients mirrors making thoughtful, caring choices.

Potion of Courage
Talia holding the glowing blue Potion of Courage
🕵️ Shhh… it’s a surprise

Poppy as Your Mystery Reader

In many classrooms, the Mystery Reader is a surprise guest whose identity stays secret until they walk through the door (or pop up on screen) with a story to share. Poppy loves being that surprise. A visit can include:

  • A magical read-aloud of The Little Potion Maker
  • A pretend potion-making moment where every child adds a “feeling ingredient”
  • Brave Breaths: a calming breathing exercise children can use anytime
  • Questions and answers with a real author
  • Free printable coloring pages for the whole class
Book a Mystery Reader visit
🎪 Visits, fairs & events

Ways Poppy Can Join You

Classroom Visits

In-person or virtual story time, perfect for PreK through early elementary.

Book Fairs

Feature the book at your school book fair, with author signings where possible.

Libraries & Groups

Story hours for libraries, homeschool groups and family events.

Counselors & SEL Teams

Use the potions as a gentle, playful tool for feelings conversations.

Bulk & School Orders

Copies for classrooms, libraries and gifting. Just ask about bulk orders.

📚 Reader extras

The Classroom Corner

Free ideas to bring the story to life at home or school.

Discussion questions

🤭 Potion of Giggles
  • What makes you giggle?
  • How does your body feel after a big laugh?
  • Who do you love to laugh with?
🦁 Potion of Courage
  • When have you felt brave, even though you were a little scared?
  • What would you put in your own courage potion?
🌙 Potion of Sweet Dreams
  • What helps you feel calm at bedtime?
  • Let’s take three slow moon breaths together. How do you feel now?
💗 Love That Follows You
  • Talia made a potion out of love. What would you put in a potion for someone you love?
  • How can we show love when someone is far away?
✨ Believing in yourself
  • What makes YOU unique?
  • Talia says, “I can do this!” When could you say those words?

Activities

Make a Kindness Potion

Draw a big bottle on paper. Each child adds one kind “ingredient” (a kind word, a helping hand, a smile) and colors it in.

My Feelings Shelf

Children draw a potion for a feeling they had today and give it a name and a color.

Play & Color Online

Brew in the Potion Lab, play the story games or print free coloring pages.

❓ Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is The Little Potion Maker for?

It is written for children ages 2 to 10. Little ones love it as a cozy read-aloud, while older children enjoy reading it themselves and talking about the feelings behind each potion.

What does the book teach children?

It is a social-emotional learning (SEL) story about self-esteem, believing in yourself, embracing what makes you unique, courage, calm, kindness, friendship and family love.

Who is Poppy Moonstone?

Poppy Moonstone is a children’s author, psychotherapist, child advocate and proud grandmother. She was inspired to write The Little Potion Maker by her grandchildren and her love of magic, imagination and storytelling.

Can Poppy visit our school as a Mystery Reader?

Yes. Poppy offers Mystery Reader visits, classroom story times and book fair appearances, in person or virtually. Use the request form on this page to get in touch.

Is the book useful for counselors and therapists?

Yes. Created with clinical insight, the potions give children a playful, magical language for naming and understanding their feelings, which makes the book a gentle tool for counseling and SEL groups.

Are there free activities to go with the book?

Yes. The website has free story games, a Potion Lab where children brew their own potions, a Magic Flight game, printable coloring pages, discussion questions and classroom activity ideas.

Is The Little Potion Maker part of a series?

Yes. More adventures with Talia and Gigi are on the way, including a brand-new social-emotional learning book coming soon.

Can we order copies for a classroom or book fair?

Yes. Bulk and school orders are welcome. Send a request through the form on this page and choose ‘Bulk or school order’.

Request a Visit or Bulk Order

Tell us a little about your school or event and we’ll be in touch with a sprinkle of magic.

This opens your email app with your request filled in.

🔮 Future projects

What’s Brewing Next

The adventure is only beginning. New books, school visits and more magic are bubbling away in Gigi’s pot.

🔮

A New Book Is Coming

A brand-new social-emotional learning story. Title reveal coming soon!

Available now

The Little Potion Maker

Talia discovers Gigi’s glowing book of potions and learns that the strongest magic is already inside her.

🛒 Buy on Amazon All retailers
Coming soon

A New SEL Book

Poppy’s next story continues her mission to help children believe in themselves, with new feelings to explore and new magic to discover.

In the works

The Little Potion Maker Series

More adventures with Talia and Gigi, more potions on the pantry shelves and more brave hearts ready to shine.

Booking now

Mystery Reader for Schools

Poppy is visiting classrooms as a surprise Mystery Reader, sharing story time, brave breaths and potion magic.

Learn more
Dates announced soon

Book Fairs & School Events

Look out for Poppy at book fairs and school events. Want her at yours? Send a request.

Request a visit
Coming soon

Story Time Videos

Read-alongs, behind-the-scenes peeks and author reflections from Poppy.

Be the First to Know

New book reveals, event dates and fresh printables, delivered with a little magic.