Deana Plaskon

I’m Deana, an award-winning children’s author, educator, licensed clinical mental health professional, and someone who can’t walk past a friendly dog without stopping to say hello or beautiful flowers without stopping to smell them. Bella isn’t just a storybook character. She’s my real-life Gypsy Vanner horse. I’ve been known to have long conversations with her. She always has something to say; you just need to watch her body language and listen.

And Bird (yes, his name really is Bird!) is inspired by the curious little barn swallows that gather Bella’s flowing mane to build their nests in her stall. After Hurricane Ian, I saw how deeply children were affected by fear, sadness, uncertainty, and change. That experience inspired me to create the Bella and Bird Emotion Explorers series, blending engaging stories with practical emotional intelligence tools to help children understand and navigate their emotions. When I’m not writing, you’ll usually find me at the barn with Bella, spending time with my family, or dreaming up my next children’s book adventure.