It started with a promise.
Why a credentialed educator set out to make children's books that respect how children really feel.
As a child, our founder, Brandi Manion, noticed how often grown ups spoke down to children, in that watered down, sing song tone that assumes a child cannot understand or feel deeply. She remembers how small it made her feel, and somewhere in there she made a quiet promise: she would never speak to a child that way.
Years later she became a credentialed educator with a Bachelor of Science in Child Development, a Master of Education, and decades spent alongside children, from toddlers to twelve year olds, while raising two sons of her own. The Forever Mind Project grew straight out of that early promise.
The name carries a second promise. Brandi lost her aunt to early onset Alzheimer's, and watching a brilliant mind slip away taught her how precious the mind is, and how early we can begin to care for it. These books are written to honor that legacy, and to put honest, gentle stories into the hands of families.
At heart, The Forever Mind Project is a collection of children's books built on one belief: our words should respect every child. Challenging the curious, steadying the overwhelmed, delighting the dreamer, and honoring every kind of mind.
Made with love, for your family and ours.
Feelings are messages, not problems. Children deserve elevated language, not baby talk. And parents deserve tools they can use in sixty seconds.
Connecting the Dots Between Your Child’s Brain, Body and Heart
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Connecting the Dots Between Your Child’s Brain, Body and Heart *
Thoughtful children's books rooted in emotional intelligence—for families who value depth, nuance, and minds built to last.
Doodleheart Books
Now Available!
Doodleheart books are storybooks that help children ages 5-9 understand their feelings and build everyday skills—and because each one includes a Grown-up Guide in the back, the grown-ups reading along know just what to say and do to facilitate the growth of these social-emotional skills.
What is The Forever Mind Project?
Welcome! My name is Brandi Manion, and I'm the author behind The Forever Mind Project. I'm a credentialed educator with a Bachelor of Science in Child Development and a Master of Education.
I've spent decades working alongside children, and raising our own two, now-grown sons. Long before any of that, I was a child who noticed how the adults around me spoke down to me: the sing-song, watered-down, often derogatory tone so many reserve for the young—as if a child weren't capable of understanding, feeling deeply, or being trusted with a real idea. I remember how diminished it made me feel. Somewhere in there, I made a quiet promise to myself: I would never speak to a child that way.
The Forever Mind Project grew from that promise—and from someone I loved deeply. I lost my aunt to early-onset Alzheimer's, and watching her brilliant mind slip away taught me how precious the mind is, and how early we can begin to tend to it. That became the heart of these stories.
I write these books to continue my aunt's legacy, to honor our sons, and to put honest, gentle picture books into the hands of families. Every book here grows from that same promise: to meet a child where they are, and never look down at them.
At its heart, The Forever Mind Project is simply a collection of children's books built on one belief: our words should respect every child—challenging the curious, steadying the overwhelmed, delighting the dreamer, and honoring every kind of mind. They're stories for families—all families—rooted in joy and in respect for who children already are.
Just the way my aunt would have wanted it.
Thank you for letting my books be a minuscule part of your family. It's something I hold close.
—Brandi
