Southern Lops Rabbitry

My name is Steven Respess, and my passion is creating books that help children and families feel understood, supported, and hopeful.

Growing up in and out of foster care taught me how much it matters to have someone who keeps showing up. As a husband, a father of two children with autism, and a behavior program specialist in a mental health hospital, I bring those lessons into my writing.

I write to help children understand their feelings, ask for help, and recognize their own strengths. I also want parents and caregivers to feel less alone as they support the people they love.

My hope is that my books offer encouragement, practical tools, and a reminder that every person deserves patience, kindness, and the chance to grow.

Please take a moment to search for my books on Amazon under Steven Respess. If you have a Kindle Unlimited membership, you can read participating titles at no additional cost. Your reading and purchases help support my work and my children’s rabbitry.

Thank you for your continued support. It means so much to our family.

Steven Respess

A colorful story about big feelings, sensory needs, friendship, communication, and learning to be yourself.

Christopher & River: Calm, Courage & Friendship follows Christopher and his talking black-magpie rabbit friend, River, through ten encouraging adventures designed to help children understand emotions, handle sensory overload, communicate their needs, manage changes, build friendships, and grow in confidence.

Each chapter includes a Key Points & Real-Life Practice page that helps children connect the story to everyday situations at home, school, and in the community.

With bright illustrations, simple language, practical coping strategies, and positive messages about self-advocacy, belonging, and individuality, this book is especially helpful for young readers who experience autism, sensory differences, communication challenges, or big emotions.

A warm and supportive choice for families, classrooms, counselors, therapists, and caregivers.

Will Be available soon on Amazon. Paper back And on Kindle and kindle unlimited

Haleigh and the Ladybugs is a heartwarming children’s book about big feelings, calm choices, and learning how to handle difficult moments one step at a time.

When Haleigh becomes frustrated, overwhelmed, or upset, her tiny ladybug friends help remind her to slow down, take a breath, look at the problem, and choose what to do next. Along the way, Haleigh learns that it is okay to ask for help, take a break, use calming tools, spend time with animals, and try again after making a mistake.

With colorful illustrations, gentle lessons, and simple coping strategies, this book helps children understand that having big emotions is normal — and that they can learn healthy ways to manage them.

Perfect for children learning about emotional regulation, anger management, coping skills, self-control, and positive thinking.

Haleigh and the Ladybugs encourages young readers to remember:

Stop. Breathe. Look. Choose.

Even the smallest ladybug can teach a very big lesson.

Live Now on Amazon. Paper back And Hardcover And on Kindle and kindle unlimited

At six years old, Steven Respess entered foster care. Separated from his family and later from his brother, he grew up searching for safety, understanding, and a place to belong.

In The Long Road: Finding Hope, Finding Home, Steven shares his memories of a childhood shaped by loneliness, anger, hospital stays, and feeling misunderstood. Along the way, a counselor who kept showing up offered moments of care that Steven would carry into adulthood.

His story continues into a life he once could not imagine: falling in love with his wife, raising their two children, enjoying a small backyard farm, and finding purpose as a behavior program specialist at a mental health hospital.

Written for teen readers, this illustrated memoir offers hope without pretending that pain disappears overnight. Seven worksheets help readers explore their feelings, identify trusted people, brainstorm options, and practice asking for help. Support resources provide places to turn when they need someone to listen.

A painful past does not have to decide the rest of your life. No kid should have to suffer alone.

Will Be available soon on Amazon paper back

It is Live on Kindle and kindle unlimited now.

Teaching the Mind: Learning to Get Through My Day with Autism is a gentle, fully illustrated children’s book designed to help young readers understand big feelings, daily routines, coping skills, and the support they may need throughout the day.

Follow Christopher as he learns how to recognize when he is becoming overwhelmed, manage anger in safer ways, ask for help, use calming strategies, practice daily living skills, and keep trying when things feel hard.

Written in simple, encouraging language, this book helps children understand that autism is only one part of who they are. It reinforces the importance of routines, communication, trusted adults, breaks, sensory supports, self-care, and positive choices.

This book can be especially helpful for:

Children with autism or other developmental differences
Parents and caregivers
Teachers and school staff
Therapists and support professionals
Families working on emotional regulation and daily living skills

With bright illustrations, easy-to-follow messages, and supportive reminders, Teaching the Mind encourages children to feel proud of their progress, ask for help when they need it, and learn that difficult moments can be worked through one step at a time.

Topics include: autism awareness, anger management, emotional regulation, coping skills, ADLs, routines, sensory overload, asking for help, calming strategies, independence, and self-confidence.

A supportive book for helping children build skills for everyday life while reminding them that they are capable, important, and never alone.

If you have Kindle Unlimited these book will be free to read and cost you nothing but will support the cause. Thank You for your support.

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