Trinka and Sam Series
Developed in Partnership with the
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
5 Stories
350,000+ Copies Freely Distributed
75,000 copies in Nepal, 50,000-Ecuador, 20,000++ in Puerto Rico, 1000+ in Australia, 184,000+ downloads from Piplo Productions, and at least 27,467 from NCTSN.
Worldwide Partnerships
Global collaboration to develop different language and cultural adaptations to support communities across the globe.
See What People Are Saying
"Puerto López has been affected more emotionally and mentally than structurally. It is apparent in just about every child I work with. They were terrified to leave their homes; they were traumatized to leave their parents-- and sleeping made nearly impossible . . . Paola and I were in agreement that Trinka and Juan should be brought to Puerto López. We had a meeting with all the parents of the children we work with to share the book and ways to use it with their children. A week later, we saw drastic changes in the behavior of the children. More and more children were returning to Clara Luna for after-school programs. There were children playing in the street again. And little by little, parents stopped reporting their child’s inability to sleep through the night When we think of earthquake relief and response, we typically think of basic necessities, medical supplies, and rebuilding materials. Unfortunately, we are often forgetting the emotional and mental needs of the people affected by a traumatic situation and the “whys” that plague them. Trinka and Juan has shown me that earthquake relief can come in the smallest and strangest forms… And that the power of a book is indescribable.
"
The feedback received has been excellent. Children loved the book and kept it to show others. Parents and teachers were very appreciative of the information. The psychosocial counselors found the book to be a good working tool.
Global Family Villages Report
/ Nepal
"
Our children were given one of your books after we lost our home in the Tubbs fire in October. First when I read the book it was so real that I couldn’t finish it. I set it aside, and wasn’t planning on reading it to our kids, but my son saw it and wanted to read it - so we did. Our kids love this book. They can’t get enough of it. We read it weekly - right after the fires it was even daily. They were drawn to it more than any other method we had to help them with their loss. Thanks for making such a wonderful tool.
Jill
/Mom of Ian, age 6, & Robyn, age 3
"
Ten months after hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico continues its recovery process and we are adapting to our new realities. Your Book Trinka y Juan en un día de mucho viento y lluvia has been instrumental in helping many families with children overcome the stress lived in September 2017.
Cindy Calderon, MD, FAAP
/ Mother Child and Adolescent Health Division
Department of Health, Puerto Rico
Story Versions
Specific versions tailored to different types of disasters
Click on the images to access the story versions
The stories have already been translated into multiple languages. Click to see what language versions already exist and to request to translate should the language version not yet exist.
Inside Each Story
A coloring book with a story that supports healing
We meet and connect with Trinka and Sam.
We learn about the specific disaster and how it affected them.
We see their reactions and behavior after the disaster.
We learn how their parents support them.
We see how the community comes together.
And we watch as Trinka and Sam are helped to feel safe and loved.
A parent guide to support parents
History of the Stories
Coming Soon
The Trinka and Sam stories are widely used throughout the United States with larger scale disseminations in response to to Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Irma, and the California Wildfires. Given that the books are freely shared from numerous websites, typically we are not able to accurately track the full utilization efforts of the stories. Below, we detail three of the largest dissemination efforts to date.
Helping Families Around the World
Nepal 2015
Over 75,000 copies distributed in collaboration with the Nepalese Ministry of Education, Global Family Villages and numerous non profits organizations.
Ecuador 2016
Over 50,000 copies distributed in collaboration Mónica Varea, an Ecuadorean author, Libería Rayuela, a publishing company, and numerous volunteer and non-profits.
Puerto Rico 2017
After Hurricane Maria over 22,000 copies distributed in collaboration with United Way of Puerto Rico, Academy of Pediatrics PR Chapter and the Mother Child and Adolescent Health Division of the Department of Health.
Major Dissemination Efforts
The mighty mice have traveled around the world to support children and families.
Acknowledgements
The development of the Trinka and Sam stories was supported in part by the Irving Harris Foundation and by grants made to the Early Trauma Treatment Network (ETTN) at the University of California, San Francisco and the National Center of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or HHS.