FREE SAMPLE PACK
Teaching kids to be kind to animals is incredibly powerful. It gets to the root of our decency where the building blocks of kindness and character form. These bite-sized stories help kids cultivate tolerance, humility, and compassion for everyone. Read a few right now!

About The STORIES
We’re All Animals is a story series for young children whose attitudes about our place in the world are still forming. While entertaining us, the stories teach tolerance, humility, and compassion.
Meet Addie, Oliver, their parents, relatives, friends, neighbors, and teacher! As they go about their daily lives, they learn from and teach each other important truths about our human connections with non-human animals.
Each story has a distinct approach. Some offer insight into our attitudes, reminding us we’re not a superior species; others simply give information about the specialized skills certain animals possess. Some stories advocate the same respect and compassion for animals we afford to humans; a few hint, in a non-threatening manner, at the brutal realities of animal slaughter and animal testing for the sake of human palettes and comforts. Still others highlight heartwarming or humorous similarities we share with animals.
Each story brings to light a human-animal intersection and is purposely short. The questions that follow the text will help stimulate discussion, and the stories can be used in an integrated curriculum as writing topics or art projects.
What’s inside
30 Stories
Discussion Questions
30 Challenges
Full Color Illustrations
Adult Guidebook
Wholesome Fun
Creating a Kinder World
Children have a natural fascination with animals. Kids squeal with delight at the sight of a puppy, marvel at the lumbering enormity of an elephant, and giggle at the mischievous antics of chimpanzees. It’s no surprise that many of our most beloved and enduring childhood stories feature animals, purposely tapping into the innocent wonder kids have for our fellow creatures. As adults, we look back with fondness at the pets with whom we shared our childhood homes. They often introduced us to the meaning of loyalty and friendship, and in their passing, taught us the ultimate price of love.
There is a goodness that comes from loving animals. At the same time, there is great value in learning to respect them. In almost every interaction they are at our mercy, and the importance of handling that power with gentle kindness cannot be overestimated.
Yet too often, we see humans wielding power with brutal cruelty. The news is littered with school shootings, sexual assaults, armed robberies, and other violent crimes by children against both humans and animals. Where is the disconnect?
Studies have shown that violent and aggressive criminals are more likely to have abused animals as children than criminals who are considered non-aggressive.* Children who abuse animals may be acting out lessons learned at home by responding to their problems with violence, a reaction that tends to amplify over time. Violence begets violence, and it is troublesome when directed toward animals and humans alike.
We’re All Animals is our attempt to reinforce in children a sense of tolerance, humility, and compassion for others. Small acts of kindness in isolation may not mean much in the balance of life and death and all that happens in between, but they tend to be contagious. The lessons in this series are designed to teach kids, in a fun and engaging way, that all beings matter. That no life is insignificant, and that it’s good to take others into consideration as we go about our lives, in big ways and in small. And if our children see kindness expressed by adults who they respect and admire, the foundation for an expanding circle of compassion will form.
* Sara C. Haden and Angela Scarpa, “Childhood Animal Cruelty: A Review of Research, Assessment, and Therapeutic Issues,” The Forensic Examiner 14 (2005): 23-33.
Individual Cards
Whether you have 30 seconds or 30 minutes, We’re All Animals can fit your schedule. That’s because each story comes on its own card and can be read individually or along with the rest of the series. Want to see for yourself? Read a few of the stories right now.
About the author.

Kathy Coughlin, formerly an English teacher at the high school, college, and adult levels, is now a freelance writer and copy editor. Her outside interests include gardening, plant-based cooking, music, sports, and travel. She has been an animal advocate most of her adult life and serves as a humane educator and district leader for the Humane Society of the United States. She teaches piano to her four grandchildren, and lives in Minnesota with her husband Mike and their dog Selby.
We’re All Animals is a joint venture between Kathy and her youngest son, Nick. A longtime animal advocate and creator of The Good Kid Project, Nick Coughlin lives in Saint Paul with his cattle dog, Pico. He believes that teaching kids to treat all animals with kindness is one of the most important things we can do.
Cultivating compassion in our children makes them more patient, kind, and understanding toward themselves and the human and non-human beings they encounter every day. “We’re All Animals” is an essential and timely resource that will create ripple effects beyond what we can even imagine.
Kids relate to animals, and We’re All Animals relates to kids through short, wonderful stories they will cherish. This box set will blow the socks off anytot up to almost teen: it’s engaging, fun, and super-educational. I wholeheartedly recommendthis as the most comprehensive and appealing educational tool for 4-12 year olds I’ve seen in years.
Nick, I received your box set. Honestly I’m standing crying going through it. It’s fantastic. What a superb teaching tool for young kids. You and your mum did an outstanding job and I love Ruby Roth’s illustrations. I want to thank you for coming up with this outstanding project. I’ll be ordering more as gifts and I wish you every success ♥️
Nick, I received my order today. How beautiful. Thank you for all you do to help teach children the truth.
Free sample pack.
Teaching kids to be kind to animals is incredibly powerful. It gets to the root of our decency where the building blocks of kindness and character form. These bite-sized stories help kids cultivate tolerance, humility, and compassion for everyone. Read a few right now!