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The Adventures ofNiko & Lira, home
For grown-ups
The cover of A Light for Tavi: inside a golden frame of leaves and lanterns, Niko and Lira kneel beside their baby brother Tavi, who holds a small glowing stone.

Book One

A Light for Tavi

The Adventures of Niko and Lira, by Jonathan Seal

A bedtime story about paying attention to someone who can’t tell you what’s wrong. Niko and Lira are in charge of their baby brother for the evening. When he won’t stop crying, they stop guessing and start watching.

Ages
2 to 8, read aloud
About
Empathy: trying to understand how someone feels
Format
Paperback, 34 pages, 8.5 × 8.5 in, full color
Publisher
Lanternleaf House
ISBN
979-8-954268-00-3
Available at Amazon: A Light for Tavi (opens in a new tab)

Look inside

The first pages of the story. Swipe to see more.

  • A child on Earth watches the evening sky as the first star appears. “Every night, when the sky begins to darken, one light appears before all the rest. People call it the first star. But it is not a star at all. It is a magical world called Lumingrove, where the Lumis live. And tonight, Niko and Lira have a very important job.”
  • Mara and Oren leave for the evening. “We won’t be long,” says Mara. “Look after Tavi until we’re home.” Niko and Lira stand up tall, looking after their baby brother all by themselves, until Tavi’s lip wobbles and he begins to cry.
  • Niko and Lira sit on the sofa in Lanternleaf House with crying Tavi between them, their pendants glowing. In Lumingrove, every Lumi gets a pendant on their eighth birthday that shows how they feel. Pendants shine gold to show happiness. Blue for sadness. Red for anger. Pink for love, and many more. So when baby Tavi cries, there is no pendant to tell them why. They don’t know if he’s sad, angry, scared, or hungry. He just cries. “Don’t worry,” says Niko. “We can figure this out.”
  • Niko and Lira stand over crying Tavi in Lanternleaf House, their pendants glowing red and violet. “Wait,” says Lira. “We keep guessing. Let’s watch him instead.”

A good book for

Share your light

Niko and Lira can’t read Tavi’s thoughts. So they slow down, watch and try to understand. That is empathy: trying to understand how someone feels.

A little light for tomorrow

Tomorrow, notice if someone seems sad, frustrated, or angry. Instead of guessing why, gently ask, “What happened?” Listen to their answer, then think of one small way you could help. You might lend a hand, invite them to join you, or simply stay beside them.

From the back of the book.

More questions and activities

Meet Niko, Lira and their family, or see all the books.