In the book, The Adventures at Red Oak Farm: Things Take Time, Stacy is a girl who doesn’t just hear, she listens. And this simple difference shapes the way she moves through the world, how she builds relationships, and how she helps the animals in her care begin to trust again.
Listening might sound like a small thing, but in this story, it’s a quiet superpower.
Not the flashy, superhero kind. The real kind. The kind that helps someone feel seen. The kind that doesn’t fix everything right away but makes room for healing to begin.
Visit: Regina Richmond Books
Listening Without Words
Stacy has a rare gift, not just in the sense that she can understand animals, but in the way she truly pays attention. When Bravo, the scared and silent Arabian horse, comes to the farm, she doesn’t try to talk him into trusting her. She doesn’t push him to act differently. She simply watches. She waits. She listens to the unspoken language of fear, body language, silence, and breath.
And somehow, even without words, she starts to understand what he needs.
That kind of listening goes deeper than hearing. It’s the kind of listening that requires presence, patience, and care. And it’s something that’s easy to overlook in a world full of noise and distraction.
Tuning In to More Than Just Animals
Stacy doesn’t only listen to Bravo. She listens to the farm dog, Cowboy, who always seems to have something to say, even if others can’t quite hear it. She listens to her friends. To her grandfather’s wisdom. Even to the rhythm of the farm itself: the rustling trees, the changes in the weather, the moods of the animals.
She listens when things are loud. But more importantly, she listens when things are quiet.
And that’s where the magic is.
Because in those quiet moments, real connection happens. Not just between Stacy and the animals, but between readers and the story. It’s in those small, gentle pauses that we see who Stacy really is and maybe even who we can be, too.
What Listening Teaches Us
There’s something healing about being listened to, truly listened to. And that’s exactly what Stacy offers the animals at Red Oak Farm. She doesn’t interrupt. She doesn’t assume. She creates space.
Bravo learns he can breathe around her. Vixen, the lost fox pup, learns she can trust her. Even Cowboy, the confident farm dog, relaxes in her presence because she hears him in a way others don’t.
And through it all, Stacy is learning, too. She starts to understand that listening isn’t just about being quiet. It’s about being open. It’s about being curious instead of judgmental. It’s about meeting someone where they are, not where we wish they were.
These are lessons that don’t come from textbooks. They come from lived experience, moments of sitting beside a nervous animal, or gently grooming a horse that still flinches at touch.
A Lesson for Young Readers
For kids reading Stacy’s story, there’s an invitation to do the same. To stop and notice. To pay attention to their pets, their friends, their family, even their own feelings. In a fast-paced world, slowing down enough to listen deeply is more valuable than ever.
This kind of listening helps build empathy. It encourages patience. It reminds kids that understanding someone doesn’t always mean talking to them through something, it might just mean being willing to stay beside them long enough for them to feel safe.
Stacy shows that you don’t need big words or big actions to make a difference. Sometimes, you just need to care enough to pay attention.
The Quiet Gift That Connects Us All
Listening is a kind of magic. It doesn’t glow in the dark or shoot sparks, but it transforms relationships. It builds bridges. And it’s something we can all practice, right now, right where we are.
Stacy’s ability to connect with the world around her isn’t because she’s perfect. It’s because she’s present. She shows up, she listens, and she learns. And that’s a kind of magic that lives in all of us.
Whether we’re brushing a nervous horse, sitting with a sad friend, or just taking a moment to breathe and notice the world outside our window, we can all choose to listen a little more. And when we do, we might be surprised by what we hear.