Good businesses help people.
A business is not a way to take from your neighbors. It is a way to hand them something they needed.
The Adventures of Tobias the Turtle
Problems can become opportunities.
Tobias is the slowest turtle in Riverbend Village. He is also the one who notices what everybody else walks right past. These are picture books that teach children to spot a problem, build something useful, serve people well, and believe in what they are able to do.
Every business starts with an idea.
Meet Tobias
He is slow. That turned out to be the good part.
For a long time Tobias thought being slow was the thing holding him back. Then he found out something better than being fast. When he is building, helping, creating, and serving, his speed comes alive. Kids reading these books get to discover the very same thing about themselves, that your gift usually shows up while you are busy solving somebody else's problem.
Money follows value.
Create something worth having and the money finds its way to you. Kids get this faster than most adults do.
Slow thinking builds strong ideas.
Professor Orion never hands Tobias the answer. He asks the question that helps Tobias find it himself.
The Series
One village, one turtle, and a lot of small businesses.
Every book starts with a real problem in Riverbend Village and ends with a lesson your child can actually use, plus a challenge to try at home.
Book One
The Lemonade Stand That Saved Summer
Riverbend is hot, the drink stand is empty, and everyone is thirsty. Tobias sees the problem before anyone else does.
Helping others creates opportunity
Book Two
The Lawn Care Crew
Overgrown yards, one doubtful turtle, and a crew that learns what it really means to show up and finish the job.
Work ethic and service
Book Three
The Treasure in the Trash
Everybody else sees a pile of junk. Tobias sees benches, lanterns, and something Riverbend needed all along.
Thinking bigger
The whole shelf
See every Tobias book
New titles are added as they release. Follow the author page and you will catch each one.
The Riverbend Crew
Nobody builds a business alone.
Tobias
The turtle who notices problems and turns them into ideas.
Ciaran
The fox. Best friend, big energy, wants to start ten businesses at once.
Max
The beaver. Builds the stands, carries the tools, gets things done.
Luna
The rabbit. Signs, posters, and making the work look as good as it is.
Sammy
The squirrel. Counts the coins and takes the save jar very seriously.
Ollie
The otter. Paintbrush in hand, always sees what something could become.
Grace
The dove. Asks the heart question and keeps giving in the story.
Professor Orion
The owl in the Great Oak Tree. Answers a question with a better question.
For grown-ups
A bedtime story that keeps teaching after the light goes off.
Parents, grandparents, homeschool families, and teachers keep telling me the same thing. They want books their kids beg for at bedtime that also plant something worth keeping. That is what these are built to do, through the story instead of a lecture.
- Money made simple, with spend, save, and give explained in words a six year old gets
- A parent and educator note in the back of every book
- A kid challenge at the end so the lesson turns into action
- Faith friendly values woven through kindness, giving, and purpose
- Great for read aloud, homeschool lessons, classrooms, and gifts
From Tobias's notebook
A little work, done each day,
can change everything.
Tobias writes every lesson down in his yellow Business Builder notebook. Plenty of kids have started their own after reading, which is honestly my favorite thing about this series.
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Add your name to Tobias's notebook.
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Come hang out in Riverbend.
Stories, character clips, and behind the scenes from the making of the series.