Books for military families

Love crosses every mile.

When a parent deploys, children can feel proud, worried, excited, and sad—sometimes all at once. These read-and-color stories give families a gentle way to talk through every feeling and hold close to the love that never leaves.

New Release: A Brave Halloween, Love Stays

Daddy's Away, Love Stays book cover Mommy's Away, Love Stays book cover A Week Up North: While Daddy Is Deployed book cover

Little adventures.
Big feelings.
Love that stays.

Read togetherSimple, honest stories help children understand deployment without asking them to hide how they feel.
Color togetherEach scene creates a quiet moment to listen, ask questions, and let children express what words cannot always hold.
Stay connectedVideo chats, family traditions, ordinary days, and new adventures show that distance changes where love is—not whether it is there.

The Love Stays series

One family story, carried through every season.

Start with deployment day, follow the family through everyday milestones, or choose the adventure that feels closest to what your child is living right now.

Daddy's Away, Love Stays cover

Book one · 40 scenes

Daddy’s Away, Love Stays

Emmi and Lolo learn that Daddy will be away on deployment for a long time. Through school days, bedtime questions, family visits, and video chats, the sisters discover they can miss him deeply and still find joy in the days between.

A gentle starting point for talking about separation, changing routines, and staying connected.
Mommy's Away, Love Stays cover

Book two · 40 scenes

Mommy’s Away, Love Stays

When Mommy’s Air Force job takes her far away, Peony and Poppy begin a year of new routines, hard questions, proud moments, and family support. Mommy remains part of their everyday lives—even when work or distance interrupts the next video chat.

A reassuring story for children navigating a mother’s deployment and the many feelings that come with it.
A Week Up North: While Daddy Is Deployed cover

Book three · 40 family adventures

A Week Up North

A week at the cabin brings fishing, lake days, family laughter, and new memories. Daddy is still deployed, but Emmi and Lolo learn that having fun does not mean forgetting him—and every adventure becomes another story to share when they connect.

A summer chapter about making room for happiness while someone important is still far away.
Lolo's 3rd Birthday, Love Stays cover

The story continues · 25 scenes

Lolo’s 3rd Birthday, Love Stays

Lolo turns three while Daddy is still deployed. With Boone nearby and the whole family gathered, a video call brings Daddy into the celebration. The day is happy and hard at the same time—and full of proof that love can still be part of every birthday moment.

A milestone story about celebrating fully without pretending that someone’s absence does not matter.
A Brave Halloween, Love Stays book cover

New Release · 44 scenes to read and color

A Brave Halloween, Love Stays

Halloween is almost here, and Lolo and Emmi are ready to be brave. With costumes, candy, neighborhood friends, and a video visit with Daddy, the sisters learn that it is okay to feel excited, a little nervous, and a little sad too.

A gentle Halloween adventure about courage, family, faith, and the love that stays close—even when Daddy is far away.
New Release Buy on Amazon

More books by Clayton B. McLagan

Color, play, and take the scenic route.

Explore more standalone coloring books—from a cozy road trip to friendly cornhole games for kids and grown-ups.

Little Detours: A Cozy Road Trip Coloring Book cover

Standalone coloring book · Not part of the Love Stays series

Little Detours

A Cozy Road Trip Coloring Book

Join Ollie, Lolo, and Emmi on a slow, cozy road trip filled with pie-shop pauses, lakeside mornings, tiny bookstores, and evenings beneath the pines. Forty bold-and-easy scenes invite colorists to take the scenic route at their own pace.

A warm road-trip escape about friendship, small discoveries, and enjoying the stops along the way.
Illustration of two cornhole boards and beanbags for The Hole Is the Goal

Adult cornhole coloring guide

The Hole Is the Goal

A Grown-Up Guide to Cornhole, Tournament Play & Coloring

Learn the basics, follow the scoring, and get comfortable with tournament lingo, strategy, and etiquette. This grown-up coloring guide keeps the rules clear, the scenes fun, and the jokes right where they belong.

A relaxed guide for learning the game and enjoying the moments between throws.
Let’s Play Cornhole! Teamwork, Tosses & Fair Play for Kids cover

Kids’ cornhole coloring book · 29 scenes

Let’s Play Cornhole!

Teamwork, Tosses & Fair Play for Kids

Join Maya, Owen, Leo, and Zoe as they learn how to set up the boards, toss safely, keep score, play fair, and cheer for their teammates. Twenty-nine kid-friendly scenes make the basics of doubles cornhole fun to learn and color.

A fun pick for young players, family game days, and kids ready to grab a beanbag and join in.
Clayton B McLagan, author of the Love Stays series

Meet the author

Stories shaped by real family moments.

Clayton B McLagan created the Love Stays series after seeing how deployment can touch an entire family. His read-and-color stories give children a gentle way to explore separation, changing routines, mixed emotions, and the love that stays present across every mile.

About the Author

From a real family experience

The miles are real.
So is the love.

The Love Stays books were created from the moments military families know well: the questions before bedtime, the unreliable video connection, the milestone someone misses, and the relatives who step closer. The stories do not promise that every day will feel easy. They remind children that every feeling belongs—and that they remain surrounded by love.

Written by Clayton B McLagan