Welcome to my book collection from Grace Whitfeld Publishing.
Here you’ll find my current titles, upcoming releases, and resources for families.
The Heart of Big Valley
Clara signs up to volunteer at Big Valley Donkey Ranch hoping for a quiet place to help out and feel useful. Instead, she steps into a world where gentleness is a daily practice, and every creature has something to teach her.
As she spends time with the donkeys she learns the slow, steady rhythm of the ranch. Clara begins to understand a new kind of love—one that isn’t loud or dramatic, but calm, consistent, and kind. Through small moments of courage, connection, and care, she discovers that love grows in the simple choices we make to show up, listen, and try again.
The Heart of Big Valley follows Clara’s first steps into a place that changes her from the inside out—a place where trust is built slowly, hope is tended gently, and love becomes something she can finally recognize.
Joy Found in Big Valley
Clara never expected that gentling a wild burro would change her from the inside out. Under the quiet guidance of Sky, a traditional Navajo horseman, and the steady warmth of Mrs. Maple, she learns to breathe, listen, and approach the world with soft eyes and a calm heart.
As she earns the trust of a wary burro, Clara discovers something she didn’t know she was missing—a steady, quiet joy that grows when you move gently through the world. Through small breakthroughs and brave moments, she learns that joy doesn’t always come loudly. Sometimes it arrives in stillness, patience, and the courage to stay present.
A gentle, faith‑infused story about emotional safety, trust, and the surprising joy that comes from slowing down and truly seeing.
Big Valley Grew Quiet
Big Valley Grew Quiet is a heartwarming children’s book about finding calm in the middle of excitement. Set on the lively Big Valley Donkey Ranch, this story follows Clara—a sensitive, curious girl who loves the energy of ranch life but sometimes feels overwhelmed by all the noise and activity around her.
As Clara learns to pause, breathe, and notice the quiet moments hidden inside a busy day, young readers discover practical ways to feel steady and safe, even when life feels loud. This gentle, emotionally supportive story helps kids understand big feelings, practice emotional regulation, and build confidence in busy or overstimulating environments.
Perfect for families, teachers, and counselors, Big Valley Grew Quiet offers:
- A relatable story for kids who feel deeply
- A simple introduction to mindfulness and calming strategies
- A warm, ranch‑themed setting that engages young readers
- Language that supports emotional safety and connection
If you’re looking for children’s books about managing emotions, finding peace, or navigating sensory overwhelm, Clara’s story is a beautiful place to begin.
The Waiting Fields
Clara loves the wide, quiet fields of the Big Valley Donkey Ranch. Every day, she learns something new while working with the Navajo Traditional Horsemen and the old timey professional mule loggers. She learns how to care for the land and animals, and how to notice the small, important things most people walk right past.
The Waiting Fields is a cozy, heart-warming story about patience, kindness, and learning to see the world with open eyes. Perfect for young readers who love animals, ranch life, and quiet adventures filled with hope. A tender chapter book that shows children how waiting can be peaceful, purposeful, and full of quiet hope. Through the rhythms of ranch life, young readers learn that patience is a kind of courage.
The Safety Begins Here
A Faith-Informed Approach to Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
The Safety Begins Here is a faith-anchored guide for parents and caregivers navigating the realities of childhood and adolescent mental health. Written as both a steady reference and an emotional anchor, this book offers clarity, compassion, and practical direction for families who feel unsure of what to do, where to go, or how to respond when a child is struggling.
Blending lived experience, biblical wisdom, and trauma-informed insight, the author addresses the emotional, spiritual, and relational challenges that arise when mental illness enters the family system. Rather than offering simplistic answers, The Safety Begins Here provides grounded frameworks for discernment, communication, boundaries, and emotional regulation—especially during moments of fear or crisis. This book includes tools, scripts, and worksheets for the parent, for the child, the teenager, and for siblings.
The book emphasizes a “both/and” approach: faith and professional care, compassion and accountability, prayer and practical action. Readers are guided through topics such as parental guilt and exhaustion, supporting siblings, responding to anxiety and self-harm, and creating environments of safety without surrendering responsibility or truth.
Accessible to parents without clinical or theological training, this book meets readers where they are—offering language when words are hard to find and structure when circumstances feel overwhelming. The Safety Begins Here is not about fixing a child, but about helping families establish safety, clarity, and hope at the place where healing must begin.
~BIG VALLEY DONKEY RANCH~ 