Meet the Authors
Marie Weller and Paula Vertikoff love teaching kids—and the adults who support them—about brain awareness. With over fifty years of combined experience as educators in central Ohio, they’ve seen firsthand how understanding emotions, building focus, and strengthening memory skills help children succeed at school and in life.
Their picture book series, Cranium Critters, features Scout the Safety Pup, Einstein the Owl, and Emory the Elephant—three lovable characters who show kids how their brains work.
- Scout (amygdala) helps children calm big emotions
- Einstein (prefrontal cortex) offers strategies for focusing and problem-solving
- Emory (hippocampus)guides kids in using memory to learn, grow, and tackle challenges.
Marie lives in Columbus with her husband and is a proud mom of three grown children. Paula lives in Hilliard with her husband, two sons, and their feisty beagle, Mila—the real-life inspiration behind Scout the Safety Pup.
Author Visits 🧠 Parent-Child Workshops 🧠 Educator PD
Author Visits
This isn’t your typical author visit. Along with sharing our Cranium Critters stories, we guide students through a kid-friendly lesson in educational neuroscience. They’ll discover how their brains work and how they can use that power in everyday moments.
Through fun, hands-on activities, students learn strategies for calming big emotions with Scout the Safety Pup, staying focused and handling distractions with Einstein the Owl, and using memories to learn and grow with Emory the Elephant.
And that’s not all!
We introduce the Pause Place—a special space students can visit to pause, breathe, and use helpful exercises whenever emotions feel BIG and overwhelming. Each classroom receives a starter set of Pause Place tools to help them incorporate brain-aware strategies into their daily routines.
Shared Experience Workshops for Parents & Children
Teaching children essential life skills works best when the adults in their lives learn alongside them.
Our Shared Experience Workshops bring parents, teachers, and caregivers together with kids to explore little life lessons that build BIG life skills.
Through hands-on activities, guided conversations, and playful learning, families practice strategies for emotional regulation, problem-solving, communication, and more.
Sharing the experience helps adults and children strengthen their connection and develop a common language for using these skills in everyday moments.
Single sessions and multi-session series are available.
Storytime & STEM with the Cranium Critters
An Introduction to the Cranium Critters
Bring Cranium Critters to your public library for a free Storytime & STEM event!
Authors Marie Weller and Paula Vertikoff introduce children to Scout the Safety Pup, Einstein the Head Thinker, and Emory the Memory Keeper—three lovable characters who help kids understand how their brains work. Through storytime and simple, kid-friendly demonstrations, families learn calming strategies, focus skills, and memory-boosting techniques they can try at home.
After the story, enjoy a hands-on STEM activity inspired by the book. It’s a memorable, interactive learning experience for the whole family!
Professional Development: Brain Awareness for Educators
Join Scout, Einstein, and Emory as we explore how the brain regulates emotions, prioritizes focus, draws on memory, and applies skills for learning. With the Cranium Critters as guides, educators uncover how these systems work together to shape behavior and academic success.
Through engaging activities and shared reflection, participants experience practical strategies inspired by each Critter’s strengths:
- Scout’s emotional safety tools
- Einstein’s planning and problem-solving supports
- Emory’s memory-guided learning techniques
Educators walk away with brain-based approaches they can immediately use to create calmer, more focused, more confident classrooms.
Want to bring the Cranium Critters to your school or organization? Click the Critters!
