Elena & the Heartwood Grove

A tender tale of healing, friendship, and forest magic.

When 9-year-old Elena moves to her grandmother’s cottage after her parents’ separation, she feels lost—uprooted, uncertain, and alone. But the woods behind the cottage seem to hold stories of their own.

One day, a voice in the wind calls her into Heartwood Grove. There, she discovers an injured baby deer named Lumi—timid, wild, and afraid to trust. Their friendship becomes the first step in a journey filled with memory lanterns, talking owls, ancient lullabies, and trees that help her let go of blame and find the courage to love again.

💫 Elena & the Heartwood Grove is a gentle, 12-episode adventure perfect for children ages 6–12. Each chapter is a five-minute read designed to spark meaningful conversations between children and the grown-ups who love them.

🌸 Themes: Emotional healing, love in all its forms, trust, forgiveness, and self-discovery

👉 Read the Sample Chapter

👉 Listen to the Audiobook: Chapter One

👉 Flip through the Flipbook

Description

After her parents’ separation, 9-year-old Elena Willow moves with her mother to her grandmother’s cottage on the edge of Heartwood Grove—a forest brimming with secrets, old stories, and a sense that something is quietly watching. Unsure of herself and uncertain about love, Elena begins to explore the forest and discovers Lumi, a frightened, injured baby deer. Their unlikely friendship becomes the spark for Elena’s own path of emotional healing.

1. The Move to Grandmother’s Cottage
   Elena feels uprooted and unsure. A voice in the wind calls her into the woods.
2. The Fawn with the Frightened Eyes
   She finds Lumi, the injured baby deer. Neither trusts easily.
3. The Old Oak’s Secret Letterbox
   A hollow tree reveals old, heartfelt letters. Elena writes her own for the first time.
4. The Whispering Stream
   A talking fox teaches her that love can be like water—changing shape, but always flowing.
5. The Day of the Frozen Heart
   A magical frost freezes everything in Heartwood. Elena must warm it by facing her fears.
6. The Song of the Sleeping Stones
   She finds carved stones with lullabies from generations past—a legacy of love.
7. The Memory Lantern
   Elena builds a lantern that shows a cherished memory with her dad.
8. The Bridge Between
   Elena builds a physical (and emotional) bridge—between two halves of the forest and herself.
9. The Feather of Forgiveness
   A talking owl gives her a task: to forgive, not for others, but for her own heart.
10. The Love That Waits
    Elena finds a hidden grove where love takes form—patient, present, gentle.
11. The Letting Go Tree
    To move forward, she must leave something behind. She lets go of blame.
12. The Return of Spring
    Lumi is strong enough to rejoin her herd. Elena feels a new spring inside herself—ready to love, and be loved, again.