Why I wrote Hello Petal | Alfie Rhodes Studio

🌼 Why I Wrote Hello Petal

And why emotional literacy is at the heart of every page.

When I first sat down with the idea for Hello Petal, I didn’t have a publishing plan. I had a bunch of one liner phrases in a note in my phone, some haphazard attempts racked up at digital art on my old iPad, and a gentle longing to capture emotions through story — and a deep sense that our children need spaces to feel, name, and grow through their big feelings, not rush past them.

✿ A story sparked by emotions (and flowers)

Like many parents, I was navigating the ups and downs of toddler emotions — the tears, the joy, the messiness of it all. I found myself reaching for metaphors, soft ways to explain big things. One day, an idea bloomed: “My eldest loves picking flowers whenever we go for walks… what if I could use them to help describe how he is feeling?”. Not long after, the phrases landed. Rhymes coming out of seemingly nowhere, all using flowers to help describe the way someone might feel.

And so Hello Petal began:
A child-led, flower-filled story to help little ones recognise and express their emotions with gentleness and imagination.

Each flower in the book carries an emotion — from sunshiny daffodils to slow, calm lavenders — and the feelings are shown visually through a whimsical palette, with details and colours blooming around the characters. There’s no right or wrong way to feel. There’s just… feeling.

✿ Why emotional literacy matters

In a world that moves fast and asks kids to “be brave” or “move on,” emotional literacy offers a softer path — one where children are invited to:

Name their feelings
Feel safe sitting with them
Recognise them in others
Express them in creative, healthy ways

Stories are the perfect place to begin this. They give children a gentle distance from their own experience while still helping them understand it. Through the language of imagery, rhythm, and character, we help children build the inner tools they’ll carry with them for life.

✿ A book for kids, families, and feelings

I didn’t write Hello Petal just for children — I wrote it for parents, caregivers, educators, and anyone else walking alongside little humans as they grow.

Because emotional literacy isn’t a box we tick.
It’s something we grow into. Together.

Hello Petal is now available for preorder.
Learn more about the book here, or sign up to be first to know about new resources and behind-the-scenes stories from the studio.

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