Cody Briggs, his dog Koda, and the family farm they call home. Illustrated chapter books for ages 7–10 about courage, kindness, and the kind of hard work that teaches you who you are.
Each book stands on its own. Read them in order and you will start noticing the little things that carry from one farm season to the next.
Cody has one row of the family watermelon farm all to himself, and one summer to prove what he can do with it. A story about perseverance, patience, and quiet self-belief.
Something is disappearing from the farm, and Cody wants to know why. A story about paying attention, trusting your gut, and a mystery worth keeping.
Brian grew up on his family’s watermelon farm in Texas, DiIorio Farms, where summers meant early mornings, long green rows, and the kind of work that teaches you who you are. Cody’s story grew straight out of that red Texas dirt.
Koda is real too. She’s based on Brian’s first dog, the one that made every chore lighter and every hard day softer.
Brian writes for kids who don’t always see themselves in books: the ones growing up in small towns and rural communities, far from the big city, whose quiet, everyday courage deserves to be the whole story.