In April of 2020 we joined the surge of #CovidCantStopGOOD participants. Our efforts haven’t gone unnoticed by donors! We are so proud of the work we’ve done and the impact we’re making. We’re just getting started! So, here at Treehouse Toons we are always looking to learn about nonprofits, their needs and what makes their donors tick.  We’ve had some big ‘that’s it’ moments and we concluded that personal relationships are at the heart of it all. Here’s all the secrets and how we help: Communication.   No surprise, right! Frequent and consistent communication, yields loyal donors and stro ..read more

April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. For us its such an important month.  My home is also home to several rescued pets.  Each of them has their own story but they all have one thing in common. Each was treated with cruelty by humans before they came to be mine. So, I’ve got a personal message for people who mistreat animals.  Its something you do by choice.  You make your excuses, I’m certain, but ultimately you have the ability to choose to be kind.  In this post I am choosing to be as kind as I can to those who mistreat animals when I say what follows: Yo ..read more

No one loves animals more than those that rescue and foster them. We love animals, too. As a matter of fact, our property is “home” to rescue dogs and cats that call us family. It is our love for animals that compels us to tell the heart warming stories of animal welfare organizations. We believe that these stories can help children to grow up loving and respecting animals. So, we teamed up with non-profit animal welfare agencies to bring their most memorable rescue stories to life as children’s books. We cannot think of a better way to help children empathize with animals than by turning thes ..read more

The first step to developing empathy is emotional literacy, or the ability to read or recognize your own emotions and the emotions of others so that you can figure out what they are feeling Illustrated children’s books have long been used to encourage an support reading skills in children. However, they have been mostly neglected as a an aid for children’s emotional development. Recent advancements and understanding in cognitive psychology have led to new ways of looking at picture books. These achievements inform teachers in the use of picture books to foster children’s emotional literacy. Em ..read more

Help us help non-profits by buying exclusive gift sets featuring the original storybooks and characters of these great causes. The post Great Gifts that Benefit Great Causes appeared first on Treehouse Toons ..read more

Our alliance with non-profit causes does contribute to our focus on teaching children to understand emotions. After all, development of empathy typically starts with recognizing basic emotions, like joy, distress, fear, or anger. There are a vast number of children’s books that focus on emotions, treating them in a range from simple, literal, and straightforward to elaborate and metaphorical. But, how do we teach children to understand emotions? After all, they are young, right? They have had only a limited amount of exposure to strong emotions up until this point (hopefully mostly positive ..read more

When non-profit organizations try to convince the public to believe in their cause, they often focus on facts—rattling off statistics as if pitching to a cold-hearted corporation. It’s perfectly understandable why they do this, after all, facts matter. We need to know how fast the jungle is being lost in Borneo if we are to save the orangutans. Nor can we blame a successful non-profit for laying out their resume of victories. Lives saved. Animals rescued—the quantifiable change. But do facts inspire? Does the next generation of non-profit leaders hear the percentages and ratios and picture a f ..read more

Nonprofits are beginning to realize the power of storytelling in persuading the public to back their cause and donate their money or time. Whether it’s a well-positioned short-story designed to add context or a longer-tale that provides a human face to a cause – stories have the power to inspire. However, what is often less appreciated is who to inspire? Not just donors and politicians. But also, the next generation, who one day will need to take our place. To children, the world can be frightening, but as the wonderful Mister Rogers once said: “When I was a boy, and I would see scary things i ..read more

April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. For us its such an important month.  My home is also home to several rescued pets.  Each of them has their own story but they all have one thing in common. Each was treated with cruelty by humans before they came to be mine. So, I’ve got a personal message for people who mistreat animals.  Its something you do by choice.  You make your excuses, I’m certain, but ultimately you have the ability to choose to be kind.  In this post I am choosing to be as kind as I can to those who mistreat animals when I say what follows: Yo ..read more

No one loves animals more than those that rescue and foster them. We love animals, too. As a matter of fact, our property is “home” to rescue dogs and cats that call us family. It is our love for animals that compels us to tell the heart warming stories of animal welfare organizations. We believe that these stories can help children to grow up loving and respecting animals. So, we teamed up with non-profit animal welfare agencies to bring their most memorable rescue stories to life as children’s books. We cannot think of a better way to help children empathize with animals than by turning thes ..read more