The groundbreaking children’s book that helps young readers befriend and navigate the feelings that are hard to understand and name.
Oakland, CA — Tiny Torch Books, an imprint of The Collective Book Studio, announced the acquisition and forthcoming publication of Māya Meets Her Feelings, Dr. Tenisha Warner’s debut children’s book, and the beginning of her exciting new series, The Feelings Doctor. The book is scheduled for publication in May 2027.
Māya Meets Her Feelings introduces children to the importance of learning that a feeling can be met with curiosity and care. Through an engaging story designed to make conversations about feelings approachable, the book encourages young readers to understand that emotions are a natural and important part of growing up. Where most feelings books teach children to manage their emotions, Māya Meets Her Feelings helps a child meet a feeling the way you’d meet a new friend, with curiosity instead of a fix.
Dr. Warner brings her professional perspective and personal experience to a subject that has become increasingly important to families: helping children develop emotional awareness and healthy communication skills. Dr. Warner’s conviction is simple. A child’s emotional well-being deserves the same care and attention we give their physical health. With its focus on emotional literacy and family connection, Māya Meets Her Feelings will appeal to parents, educators, librarians, counselors and anyone looking for engaging resources to help children better understand their emotional worlds.
“I wrote Māya Meets Her Feelings because I believe a child’s emotional well-being deserves the same care and attention we give their physical health,” Dr. Warner said. “We take children to a doctor for a fever or a scraped knee. This is a book about tending to their feelings with that same love, and about a child learning that a feeling isn’t something to fix. It’s something that can be seen, named, and befriended, and no one has to hold it alone.”
“As parents, educators and caregivers, we want children to have the language and confidence to talk about what they are feeling,” said Angela Engel, CEO and publisher of The Collective Book Studio. “Māya Meets Her Feelings gives families a meaningful and accessible way to begin those conversations. We are so happy to be able to bring Dr. Warner’s voice and perspective to young readers.”
“As a doctor of psychology who helps children make sense of their feelings, I’m thrilled to be working with Tiny Torch Books and The Collective Book Studio,” Dr. Warner adds. “I wanted this book in the hands of people who understand that a picture book can be both beautiful and true, and who care about the child and the grown-up who read it together. Building something this tender with a publisher that treats it with the same care I do means a great deal to me, and I look forward to reaching readers in ways I’ve long dreamed of.”
The Feelings Doctor series reinforces the message to children that there is no wrong feeling, only feelings that deserve to be understood. This first book also marks an exciting addition to Tiny Torch Books’ growing list of children’s titles, which are dedicated to inspiring curiosity, building confidence, fostering connection, and creating positive impact.
Dr. Tenisha Warner is a homeschooling mother, doctor of psychology, and founder of River & Ember, a family storytelling company that helps hold the thread between generations through story, ritual, reflection, and art. She was married to the late Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the acclaimed actor, director, musician, and poet. Dr. Warner began her career as a sales trader at UBS Investment Bank, straight out of college, before earning a master’s in counseling psychology, and then a doctorate. By the time she was doing her clinical training, she was also pregnant. The years she spent learning how children carry anxiety, fear, grief, and the feelings too big to name, she spent growing one of her own. She logged thousands of clinical hours with children and adults, working across anxiety, trauma, mood and personality differences, and neurodivergence, learning firsthand how a child’s nervous system reaches for safety, while her daughter grew beside her. The credential and the motherhood didn’t arrive separately. They arrived together.
You can learn more about her by visiting: https://riverandemberco.com/dr-tenisha-warner
A portion of proceeds supports the Warner Family Foundation, a nonprofit which honors the creative legacy of Malcolm-Jamal Warner by supporting young artists.
Tiny Torch Books is devoted to crafting beautiful books that excite, engage, and inspire kids. They publish stories that ignite ideas and curiosity, and that lay the foundation for a lifetime love of reading. For more information visit: www.TinyTorchBooks.com
The Collective Book Studio is a woman-owned, independent publisher dedicated to creating high-quality, beautifully crafted books that celebrate diverse voices and empower storytelling. Our unique publishing model creates a true partnership between author and publisher, meaning our authors can spend time doing what they love while we take care of everything else.
The Collective Book Studio is an independent press based in Oakland, CA. Their books are distributed by Simon & Schuster, a global leader in general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages. For more information, visit www.simonandschuster.com
For media inquiries: Trina Kaye, TrinaKaye@tkopr.com, 310-963-3964
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