Little Leaders
Ages 5 to 8The Rhino That Became a Unicorn
A warm, imaginative story about identity, courage, and discovering that extraordinary is already within you.
- Identity
- Courage
- Believing in Yourself
Read With Dr. Rod
Stories That Meet Young People Where They Are.
Leadership looks different at every stage of growing up.
Dr. Rod's books meet young people in those different moments through stories, memorable ideas, and leadership lessons designed to continue long after the page is turned.
Two Stages. One Mission.
Choose Where the Journey Begins.
Each book was created for a different stage of growing up, but both begin with the same belief. Leadership starts with learning to understand yourself, make intentional choices, and recognize the influence you already have.
Teen Leaders
Ages 13 to 19The Zoo of Success
A bold leadership journey about choices, challenges, relationships, resilience, and becoming the person you choose to be.
- Self-Leadership
- Resilience
- Influence
Little Leaders | Ages 5 to 8
Extraordinary Begins With Discovering What's Already There.
The Rhino That Became a Unicorn introduces younger readers to ideas about identity, courage, confidence, and possibility through an imaginative story created for children ages 5 to 8.
At an age when children are beginning to form important beliefs about who they are and what they are capable of, the story creates an opportunity to talk about recognizing your strengths, facing challenges, and understanding that being extraordinary does not require becoming someone else.
What Young Readers Can Explore
- Who am I?
- Recognizing identity and what makes each person unique.
- What makes me brave?
- Discovering courage even when something feels difficult.
- What am I capable of?
- Building confidence through possibility and self-belief.
- What is already within me?
- Learning that growth does not require becoming someone completely different.
Teen Leaders | Ages 13 to 19
Leadership Gets Real When the Choices Become Yours.
As young people enter their teen years, leadership becomes increasingly connected to everyday choices.
The Zoo of Success uses memorable animal metaphors to explore leadership principles that teens can recognize in their own lives, from the way they approach goals and setbacks to the relationships they build and the influence they have on others.
The goal is not simply to teach teens about leadership. It is to help them recognize where they are already practicing it.
Leadership in the Wild
The animals make the lessons memorable. The real work happens when those lessons leave the page.
- Vision
- Seeing where you want to go.
- Attitude
- Choosing how you respond.
- Resilience
- Continuing when things get difficult.
- Relationships
- Recognizing who influences your direction.
- Empathy
- Understanding that leadership includes how you treat others.
One Philosophy
The Stories Change. The Foundation Doesn't.
A five-year-old and a seventeen-year-old are facing very different worlds.
The conversations should be different too.
But underneath both books is the same belief. Young people become stronger when they understand who they are, develop character, learn from challenges, recognize their influence, and discover how their choices can positively affect other people.
Leadership begins with learning to lead yourself.
Beyond the Book
A Story Can Start a Conversation.
Books can give young people language for ideas that are sometimes difficult to talk about directly.
A parent can ask a question.
A teacher can connect a lesson to the classroom.
A mentor can challenge a young person to put an idea into practice.
Dr. Rod Inspires helps those conversations continue long after the book is closed.
For Parents
Ideas for continuing meaningful leadership conversations at home.
For Educators
Resources that help connect leadership ideas to classroom conversations and student growth.
For Mentors
Questions and activities that encourage young people to reflect, act, and grow.
Read With Dr. Rod
Every Stage Has a Story Worth Starting.
Whether the journey begins with a young rhino discovering what's already within or a teen exploring leadership through the wild, every story begins in the same place.
With the possibility of seeing yourself differently.