Menthol Elf
Menthol is always noticing. He listens closely, asks gentle questions, and helps children see that big feelings are natural and never have to be faced alone.
Welcome to the Valley of Calm
Menthol Elf
Gentle storybook adventures and emotional learning resources that help children notice big feelings, name them kindly, and practise calm little tools they can return to.
Step into the Valley
A story world for feelings children can understand.
Menthol Elf begins with a simple promise: big feelings are not bad, strange, or something to hide. They are part of being human, and children deserve gentle language for them.
In the Valley of Calm, worries can gather like mist, brave steps can feel fluttery, and quiet moments can help a child notice what is happening inside. The stories do not rush feelings away. They help children meet them kindly, one small tool at a time.
Explore the FrameworkFamiliar faces in the Valley
Gentle friends you may meet along the way.
These are some of the familiar faces who help the Valley of Calm feel warm, curious, and kind. Each one notices the world in their own way, and each one has something gentle to share when feelings grow big.
Willow the Wise Fox
Willow knows how to slow a moment down. When thoughts feel busy or the world feels too loud, he helps everything grow a little quieter again.
Bumble the Brave Bee
Bumble reminds us that bravery does not mean never feeling scared. It means taking one small brave step, even while your wings are still fluttering.
Nora the Noticing Gnome
Nora is very good at spotting small clues. She helps children notice what a feeling might be saying, and find kind words for it when they are ready.
The series promise
Big feelings are natural.
The Menthol Elf Framework helps children notice feelings, name them kindly, understand everyday emotional experiences, and practise one gentle calming tool at a time.
Notice
The Valley of Calm gently reflects what is happening inside, helping children spot body clues and feeling signals.
Name
Menthol Elf and his friends use simple, kind language for worry, sadness, bravery, patience, and confidence.
Understand
Stories explore what a feeling may be connected to without forcing children to disclose personal experiences.
Calm
Every story offers a small tool children can try: breathing, pausing, asking for help, trying again, or choosing one next step.
Inside the world
Places with a feeling purpose.
The Valley of Calm is filled with places that hold a feeling in the air. Some are misty, some are bright, and some feel like a long breath out.
Worry Woods
A misty place for learning that worry can be noticed and softened.
Calmwater Creek
A reflective stream for breathing, grounding, and returning to steadiness.
Kindness Knoll
A warm hillside where gentleness, repair, and thoughtful words have room to land.
Confidence Canopy
A leafy place for small brave steps, steady climbing, and learning that trying again still counts.
Mirror Lake
A still place for noticing what feelings look like when the water grows quiet enough to reflect them back.
Breathing Burrow
A sheltered nook where the world feels close and soft, and one calm breath can make room for the next.
A gentle pause
Menthol's Calm Moment
Take one soft breath in, let one soft breath out, and notice what feels a little steadier.
For home and school
Choose the pathway that fits your moment.
Once children have stepped into the story world, the resources help grown-ups bring the same gentle language into everyday life, family reading, classroom discussion, PSHE, wellbeing sessions, and calm corners.
Resources for home
Use story time to name feelings kindly, try a Calm Moment together, and return to small tools during everyday worries and wobbles.
Visit Home Resource HubSchools Resource Hub
Find story-led emotional literacy tools, classroom scripts, calm-corner resources, and term pathways for Reception to Year 6.
Visit the Schools Resource HubBooks and resources
Made for story time and real life.
Picture-book adventures
Soft page turns, clear emotional metaphors, and simple reflection prompts for younger readers.
Illustrated longer stories
More reflective adventures for children beginning to understand layered feelings and inner thoughts.