Hi, I’m Deana, a mom, psychotherapist and educator. I write fun and relatable children’s books that help children (and adults) explore their emotions and feelings through endearing stories that make emotional intelligence (EI) fun and natural. The Bella and Bird the Emotion Explorers is a book series based on Bella, my real-life therapy horse, and her friend, Bird, the cheeky barn swallow. Through their adventures, they help children navigate big emotions and feelings. Bella and Bird equip children with simple tools and exercises they can use at any time to build their social and emotional intelligence.
Deana Plaskon is an educator and mental health expert whose work guides and equips children (and adults) with social and emotional knowledge and tools to help them live healthier lives through relatable, enchanting children’s books. With a PhD in Education specializing in human behavior, a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a Master’s in Arts specializing in Teaching and Learning with Technology, Deana has a uniquely informed, yet fun-loving approach to children’s books. Her series, Bella and Bird the Emotion Explorers, is inspired by her real-life therapy horse Bella, and her friend Bird–the not-so-common barn swallow.

Imbued with Bella’s calm, wise presence and Bird’s cheeky humor, these delightfully empowering children’s books are designed to entertain and inspire children ages 5-10, and the adults who care for them. These books combine three important elements: engaging, relatable stories; emotional intelligence and literacy exploration; and vetted therapeutic tools by validating the big emotions and feelings of childhood while giving children powerful, practical tools to succeed.

Each book in the series explores a single primary emotion (like anger or sadness) through the lens of a child’s story. Bella and Bird act as gentle, fun guides to help the child feel seen and heard, while also providing them with age-appropriate psychology-backed tools to process their emotions and communicate more effectively.

Deana’s experience as a mom, therapist, and educator has deeply informed her work in this unique emotional intelligence series that combines truly enchanting storytelling with humor and useful tools–a rarity in children’s literature.

In addition to her decades of expertise, Deana is also a speaker who loves sharing the latest research, methods, and insights in education and mental health with audiences nationwide. With focus areas in child psychology, equine and talk therapy, bullying, resiliency, motivation, and emotional intelligence, she is a uniquely informed speaker, author, and expert.