How a Folklore Tale Inspired This Mom of 2 to Create the Full Moon Version of Elf on the Shelf (Exclusive)

"My kids would put out their shoes and the Full Moon Fairy would come and bring them a trinket," creator Karly Bonfante tells PEOPLE exclusively of her books

Karly Bonfante, a Los Angeles mother of two young children, sought ways to transition her hustle-bustle life working in the fashion industry to spending more time connecting with her little ones.

With a creative mind swirling with ideas amid the "whirlwind" life of parenting, Bonfante paired her fantastical imagination with her appreciation for nature to instill foundational values and lessons in her kids by adapting the “full moon fairy” practice into a 14-book Full Moon Fairy collection that stars the barefoot, benevolent character Faye.

Bonfante, a self-described "believer" in the energy of the moon, tells PEOPLE she created the Full Moon Fairy tradition as a way to "slow down and be in the moment" with her kids four years ago. At the time, her daughter was two years old and her son was five.

"They were smack in the middle of what I call 'the magic years.' They were just young and full of wonder and everything is a magical experience," she says of when she started the Full Moon Fairy tradition in her household.

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The tradition, or "practice" as Bonfante calls it, takes place around each lunation. "My kids would put out their shoes and the Full Moon Fairy would come and bring them a trinket," she recalls, which then evolved into making up a corresponding story during each full moon.

That's when Bonfante invented the character Faye, the Fairy of the Moonlight who is now the playful companion and guide throughout the Full Moon Fairy series. She also created other characters who all "started coming to life," too!

Now, Bonafante is sharing her fantastical imagination with the world! "Over the course of the last couple of years, I really thought this could be so fun for families nationwide or worldwide to adopt... and here we are!" she says of the "exciting" book launch.

The Full Moon Fairy collection is a magical series of bedtime stories corresponding to each full moon in the year's lunar calendar accompanied by cute trinkets to help tell the tales.

Per the collection's official synopsis, "Faye invites us along as she and her critter friends bask in the powerful light of the full moon and interact with the flora and fauna of our shared Earth, teaching us about respect and harmony along the way."

Bonfante had heard about a full moon fairy tradition from a friend, though the folklore tale wasn't widely known by many except for a "small group" of people who had adopted similar practices. "I really wanted to expand upon that and make it a whole world," she says.

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The series was created to educate children about the lunar cycles, but also to "celebrate each full moon" and "make it very fun and exciting for kids" at the same time, says Bonfante. "It's a monthly easy thing to do, but also really fun thing to do for those sweet ages."

In addition to the hardbound bedtime stories that correspond with all 12 full moons (plus the introductory book Faye and Friends and a bonus book for the rare Blue Moon), the 14-set series comes with a customizable back of Montessori-inspired trinkets per age group.

Trinkets include high-quality crafts and collectibles like paper garlands, crack-open geodes, mindfulness cards and kaleidoscopes for readers aged three and older. Teethers, rattles and sensory toys are also sold for little ones.

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The books can be purchased individually online or can be bought in kits, which come with the selected trinkets of your choice. "It's super easy and comes all in one kit and right to your door in time to celebrate that full moon," she says.

Bonfante also created stuffed animals called "Stuffies," which were handmade in Nepal. "I really wanted these characters to be able to be felt and held and snuggled... They're each a little bit unique, have a lot of character and really made with a ton of love," she says.

As for the magical fun of the stuffed-animal counterparts, Bonfante loosely compares the "surprise and wonder" to the Elf on a Shelf tradition around Christmas. In contrast, though, she says "you can choose" how you want to execute the full moon experience.

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Plus, it's an enchanting practice that happens more than one time of year! "It's definitely a tradition and experience for kids to carry and take with them forever," Bonfante says of the Full Moon Fairy collection.

"I also wanted the values of this experience to be rooted in nature and really give parents more of a moment to connect with their kids on a very deep level," she explains, adding, "to really impart some core lessons of kindness and taking care of each other, the earth and ourselves."

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