James Mooney The Wandering Paddy
The Innerland series · ages 5–9 · November

The feeling
gets smaller.
It doesn’t vanish.

Most children’s books about big feelings promise the feeling will disappear. It doesn’t, and children notice. So we wrote the honest version — story-led introductions to the feelings every child meets, grounded in the principles of CBT and ACT.

Written by James Mooney, with Cara Byrne, Psychotherapist (MA, MIACP).

For schools and organisations Sets, sessions, workshops Details at the foot of this page →
Wren and the Flutter — cover
How every book works
It only shows up when something mattered.

That line is in every book, and it is the whole argument. The creature is never a villain. It turns up because the child cared about something.

  1. IA child meets a big feeling on an ordinary day.
  2. IIThree slow breaths carry them over the breath bridge into Innerland.
  3. IIIThere they find Pip, a small fox who is in every book, and the creature of that feeling — named for how it sits in the body.
  4. IVThey learn one skill, then use it back in the real world.
  5. VThe creature falls asleep. The child settles at home. The feeling is smaller, and still there.

The books

Eight in all · one feeling each · read in any order
Wren and the Flutter — cover
Book One Worry November, on Amazon

Wren and the Flutter

When the Flutter visits at bedtime, Wren just wants it to go away. But it isn’t here to ruin anything — it’s only trying to help. With a little fox named Pip and three slow breaths, Wren learns something brave.

The creature — the Flutter — moth-winged, airy, gold. Worry sits fluttery and light and tight. What it teaches — Notice it, name it, breathe, make room for it, and do the thing that matters anyway. Worry settles with stillness.
Book Two Anger November, on Amazon

Rowan and the Stomp

Three whole days of building. Three tall towers, a drawbridge that really moved, and a tiny paper dragon at the very top. Then Theo came round the corner, running fast — and one foot changed everything.

The creature — the Stomp — sturdy, badger-like, rust and terracotta. Anger sits hot and heavy and pushing. What it teaches — Anger is a signal that something you value was hurt. The energy can be moved through the body safely. What happened and the story we tell about it are two different things. Anger settles with movement.
Rowan and the Stomp — cover
Willow and the Sigh — cover
Book Three Sadness & loss November, on Amazon

Willow and the Sigh

Every Sunday was a Grandad day. But Grandad died in the spring, and now a heavy feeling follows Willow everywhere, like a stone that has found a place to live. The Sigh only shows up when something mattered — and it just needs company.

The creature — the Sigh — small, blue-grey, droopy-eared, very heavy. It doesn’t need chasing away. What it teaches — Grief doesn’t need chasing away. Saying it aloud to someone makes it easier to carry. Sadness returning on a birthday, or an ordinary Tuesday, is not going backwards. Sadness settles with company.
cover not yet chosen
Book Four Jealousy & comparison Being illustrated

Ash and the Prickle

Ash’s painting goes on the classroom wall behind the coat hooks. Juno’s goes in the middle, with a gold star. The Prickle is hedgehog-like, with soft bendy quills that fluff up whenever it spots something shiny belonging to someone else.

The line — “You’re measuring again.” What it teaches — Jealousy points at what you care about, not at the other person. Naming the real want gives you something to do about it.

Eight books in all for this age range. Four more feelings are mapped — embarrassment, fear, disappointment and loneliness — and nothing about them is decided yet. After that the series moves up through the older age ranges, with the same bridge and the same fox.

The clinical side

With Cara Byrne,
Psychotherapist (MA, MIACP)

Cara is a psychotherapist and a member of the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and the founder of The Hike Psych.

She reviews the clinical content of every manuscript and leads the material written for the adults — the “Note for Grown-Ups” at the back of each book, and the Parent Companion Guides. I write the stories. She keeps me honest about the psychology; I keep it a story rather than a lesson.

What they draw on

From CBT: the link between a thought, a feeling and what we do next — shown in a story rather than explained. Separating what happened from the story we tell about it.

From ACT: noticing and naming a feeling, making room for it instead of pushing it down, and taking one small step towards what matters.

For the grown-ups

Every book carries a Note for Grown-Ups, and a free Parent Companion Guide will be available at hikepsych.ie.

For schools and organisations

Sets, sessions, workshops

Most of the children who need these books meet them somewhere other than a bookshop — a classroom, a waiting room, a family support service. If that is where you work, the books come in sets, and Cara comes with them.

I

Books in sets

For classroom libraries, school libraries, waiting rooms and family support services. Priced per set rather than per copy.

  • —Full series, or a selection by feeling
  • —Invoiced, with a purchase order if you need one
  • —Parent Companion Guides included
II

Sessions with Cara

Led by Cara Byrne, Psychotherapist (MA, MIACP), and built around the books. For ages five to nine.

  • —Small group, single class, or full assembly
  • —Naming feelings, and what to do with a big one
  • —Garda vetted
  • —Not therapy, and not a substitute for it
III

Workshops

Longer and more hands-on, for a class or a staff room. We run these together or separately, depending on what you need.

  • —For children: writing and naming what they feel
  • —For teachers and staff: using the books in the room
  • —Half day or full day
Tell us the age group, the number of children, and roughly when. We will come back with a plan and a price. Enquire

Questions we are asked

Mostly by teachers

What age are the Innerland books for?

Ages five to nine. The stories are short enough to read in one sitting and are written to be read aloud by an adult, though confident readers manage them alone.

Do the books deal with death and bereavement?

Yes. Grief is one of the feelings the series takes seriously, alongside anger, worry and sadness. Nothing is dressed up and nothing is frightening — the feeling is named, sat with, and made smaller by being understood.

Are they suitable for a classroom?

They were written with classrooms in mind. Each book handles one feeling, so a teacher can reach for the one the room needs. Books come in sets for classroom and school libraries, with Parent Companion Guides included.

What does “grounded in CBT and ACT” mean in a picture book?

It means the story teaches a real skill without saying so. Cara Byrne, a psychotherapist and member of the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, reviews the clinical content of every manuscript and writes the guidance for the adults.

Can Cara come into our school?

Yes. Cara runs sessions for small groups, single classes or a full assembly, built around the books and pitched at ages five to nine. She is Garda vetted. The sessions are not therapy and are not a substitute for it.

How much does a set or a session cost?

Sets are priced per set rather than per copy, and sessions are quoted on request — tell us the age group, the number of children and roughly when. We invoice, with a purchase order if your school needs one.

When are the books published?

The first books arrive on Amazon in paperback in November 2026. Eight titles are planned for ages five to nine, with further age ranges to follow.

November

The first books arrive on Amazon in November, in paperback. Join the monthly list and you’ll know the day they land.

The illustrations

Created with AI assistance, directed by me. Every character and every spread is art-directed and chosen by hand, and it is disclosed inside each book.

What these are not

Picture books, not therapy — and no substitute for it. Willow and the Sigh is written for the death of a grandparent, with the cause unspecified. Families bereaved by suicide should seek specialist support; the book signposts where.