Anderson mother-daughter duo’s new book aims to help children with anxiety
Apr 17, 2026
ANDERSON — The theme of the new book Nikki Snow recently published with her daughter, Savannah, resonates with both of them.
The book, “Finley the Fox and her Fluttery Feelings,” explores themes pertaining to mental health — a topic that hits close to home for Nikki.
“I have battled with anxiety and emotional health my whole life, so I just really wanted to create a book,” Nikki said. “My daughter is so talented with illustrations and always drawing, so I was like, ‘Let’s collaborate and do a book together. I’ll do the script and you can be creative and do the illustrations.’”
The result was something the Anderson residents hope can serve as a resource for those who may be navigating a range of unfamiliar or hard-to-deal-with emotions.
“Looking back on my childhood, I remember having some anxiety that I didn’t know I was experiencing,” Savannah said. “I didn’t really have a lot of characters or symbolism to relate to that would help me understand what I was feeling. That’s what I really love about this book. It’s to help children understand their mental health more.”
The book follows Finley the Fox as she struggles with anxiety and, with the help of some trusted friends, finds ways to help her calm down.
“Finley wakes up in her den and she’s feeling off, and she’s afraid to get out and live outside of her den,” Nikki said. “She has a wise owl that shares some tips on how to breathe in and out and to be calm.
“With the help of her friend, Finley learns to slow down and be calm, and she eventually goes out to the meadow and plays with her other friends.”
This is not the first book Nikki has created. Her first book, entitled “Why Me,” follows Benny the Bird, who feels sad after comparing himself to the other birds around him, but learns that he’s perfect just the way he is.
Savannah said creating the book alongside her mother was “a really fun experience,” and that the project “is very unique and lets us discover new things and try new things we otherwise might not have thought about.”
Nikki said Savannah is currently a sophomore at Indiana Gateway Digital Academy. The school, where Nikki works as a teacher, is a fully online school providing “an education experience tailored to each child’s needs and aspirations,” according to its website.
Both Nikki and Savannah acknowledged that coworkers and peers at the school have shown them support throughout the publication process. The school is also more flexible than most traditional schools, which allowed them to focus more time on the book.
Nikki said she feels like the entire process of producing the book has been a good learning experience for Savannah.
“I feel like it’s teaching her as well because, if this is a profession she wants to do, she’s going to have people say, ‘that’s not what I want. You need to start all over again,’ or ‘you need to meet this deadline,’ so I think this is helping with teaching that to her,” Nikki said.
Savannah said she hopes this book helps children understand their emotions.
“When you think of mental health, especially in young ages, there’s very little representation,” Savannah said. “Even though it’s better when being addressed in current media, there’s still so much stigma and stereotypes around mental health. It’s really important to allow kids to know, ‘Hey, you’re not alone. It’s not anything bad. You can experience this and also overcome it.’”