The headlines are bleak. SNAP program benefits have been cut, ICE arrests continue to impact residents in our community, and political disagreements have so many people on edge. For many of the children in our community, their emotional well-being has taken a toll for these reasons — and so many more — which is why it’s more important than ever to teach children the skills to navigate stress and anxiety through mindfulness.
That’s where Ruby comes in.
Ruby is a young pup with dreams of becoming a therapy dog. But she’s always anxious, and can’t quite figure out what’s wrong with her. Some animal friends help her along the way, such as a wise owl and relaxed cat, teaching her to see her nerves as a gift.
Ruby is the main character in Karen Lee Stevens’s newest children’s book, Little Ruby’s Big Dream, a story that presents coping skills to children in a colorful and imaginative way, especially thanks to illustrations by Jack Wiens.
Stevens is the founder of Therapy Dogs of America and Wag Well, the nonprofit’s mindfulness arm. For the past seven years, she’s worked with local schools and children’s organizations to bring social and emotional learning into the classroom. Inspired by the work done in schools around Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, her second children’s book is a testament to current times.
“I’ve seen such an increase in stress levels, anxiety levels, lack of focus, over the years,” says Stevens, who is now the organization’s Director of Wellness Programs. “The kids are experiencing so much more stress than ever before.”
Stevens has hosted a handful of readings to promote her new children’s picture book, which was released in September. Over the summer, she debuted the story of Ruby at Godmothers and shared a recap of the event on her blog Unleashing Happiness. A moment that truly captured the spirit and energy Stevens hopes to create with each story happened at the Summerland-based bookstore that day. “The best part,” she wrote, “came after I read the final page: A sweet little girl made her way to the front just to shyly whisper in my ear that Carefree Butterfly was her favorite character.”
“[Ruby] was living inside my heart for the past three years,” Stevens says. “I really felt like now was the perfect time to release the book as another way to help children manage their big emotions.”
Wag Well has worked with more than 3,000 students and teachers to share mindfulness strategies, breathing techniques, and tools for reducing stress and anxiety as well as increasing focus and resilience. Stevens has found over the years her work has had a major impact on children’s ability to stay present and focused when things seem the most tough.
For more than two decades, Stevens led Therapy Dogs of America (originally named All for Animals) as executive director. But over the past few years, she felt a pull in another direction and left her role in order to focus completely on her mindfulness work. “Now, all my time is focused on wellness for children in our community,” she says. “I’m able to reach so many more kids than ever before.”
She’s also excited to announce that new Wag Well teachers will be introduced in 2026, along with an online teacher training program that can easily be implemented in classrooms without a physical presence. “I just want as many kids as possible to have this information,” she says.
Little Ruby’s Big Dream can be purchased online, or at Godmothers. For more information on Therapy Dogs of America, or the Wag Well Mindfulness Program, see therapydogsamerica.org.
