Blog Archives
Andy the Admiral and the USS Shipshape
Andy the Admiral and the USS Shipshape by Mark Fava gives young readers a friendly introduction to Navy life through a story that is both educational and easy to follow. Set aboard the USS Shipshape, the book follows Andy as he shows his crew what it takes to keep a ship organized, safe, and ready for the day. Readers see sailors arriving on time, cleaning, helping one another, and making honest choices, all while learning that good character is just as important as doing a job well.
One of the strongest parts of the book is how naturally it connects everyday values to life aboard a ship. The lessons about responsibility, respect, teamwork, and honesty never feel too heavy-handed. Instead, they are shown through the crew’s actions, which makes the message clear for children without slowing down the story. Andy is a likable guide, and his leadership style gives readers a positive example of how to encourage others and work together.
The illustrations add a lot of charm to the book. They are colorful, detailed, and give children plenty to notice on each page. Parents and teachers could easily use the pictures to start conversations about manners, cooperation, military service, and what different sailors might do aboard a ship. I also enjoyed the inclusion of the NATO phonetic alphabet, which gives the story an extra educational touch and may spark curiosity in readers who enjoy learning new facts.
Andy the Admiral and the USS Shipshape is a great choice for children who enjoy ships, military stories, or books with clear character-building themes. It is especially meaningful for Navy families, but its lessons are useful for any young reader. Mark Fava delivers a thoughtful and enjoyable book that combines adventure, learning, and positive values in a way children can understand.
Pages: 37 | ASIN : B0GX7ZT9R3
Alli the Alligator: A Children’s Book About Kindness, Bullying, Courage, and Celebrating Differences
Readers are introduced to Alli the Alligator, a friendly, fun-loving alligator who wants nothing more than to make new friends and enjoy life. She loves playing games in the river with her brother and cousins. One day, Alli notices children nearby jump-roping, swimming, and laughing together. They look different from her, yet she dreams of joining them, playing alongside them, and even going to school as they do. Her parents agree to send her to Swamp Elementary, but Alli quickly discovers that the other students are not as welcoming as she had hoped.
Alli the Alligator is a charming, heartfelt story with a meaningful message for young readers. It gently teaches the value of kindness, inclusion, and celebrating differences. Alli’s zest for life is delightful, and her eagerness to try new things makes her easy to love. Many people feel uncertain around what is unfamiliar, but Alli reminds readers that stepping beyond our comfort zones can lead to wonderful discoveries.
Alli’s courage and bright spirit make her an especially memorable character. It is difficult to watch her face rejection from the other children at first. Still, she never gives up. She also never responds with unkindness. Her selflessness, bravery, and empathy help the students at her school see that Alli is not so different from them after all. She simply wants what every child wants: friendship, play, and a place to belong.
The illustrations are beautiful and bring warmth, color, and emotion to the story. Each page strengthens the message and helps Alli’s journey come alive. This book would be a wonderful addition to classrooms, libraries, and homes. It gives young readers an engaging way to understand inclusion, practice empathy, and recognize that everyone has something special to offer.
Pages: 32 | ISBN : 1665310693
Chanumas: One Boy, Two Holidays and a Very Big Wish
Readers are introduced to a unique and heartfelt story about a little boy celebrating Chanukah with his family. His evening is filled with familiar traditions: food, dancing, and the warm glow of the menorah. But when Christmas Eve falls on the same night, he begins to wonder whether something extra might be possible. He wants to honor Chanukah, yet he also feels curious about the magic of Christmas Eve. Hoping for a small surprise, he hangs a sock on the kitchen wall and wonders who might deliver a gift or whether one will arrive at all.
Chanumas by Irv Brand is a creative, thoughtful, and engaging story that many young readers will enjoy. I appreciated the way the little boy’s parents found a meaningful solution that allowed him to experience the excitement of Christmas Eve while remaining true to their family’s beliefs. The story handles this balance with warmth and care. Small gestures, such as hanging a sock, leaving out food for the gift-giver, and receiving kisses even without mistletoe, add charm and humor to the celebration.
The rhyming text gives the story a playful rhythm and makes it especially appealing for young readers. It also offers a fun opportunity for children to recognize and practice rhyming words. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and expressive, with plenty of details to explore on each page. They add depth to the story and help readers better understand the family’s celebration without needing extra explanation.
This is a wonderful book for children learning about Chanukah, as well as for those who celebrate Chanukah and are curious about Christmas Eve. By blending both holidays into the joyful idea of “Chanumas,” the story celebrates family, tradition, love, and the meaningful ways people come together.
Pages: 34 | ASIN : B0GX83FKVG
Helping Kids Understand
Why I Must Go offers parents a gentle way to talk about a family member’s military service and the reasons behind their time spent away from home. When did you realize there was a need for a book like this for young children?
My husband deployed twice in two years when my children were very young. My daughter started asking why her daddy had to leave for work when other daddies came home. I didn’t have a good enough answer that explained the magnitude of service and courage of military members. There was one defining moment on the day my husband deployed for the second time. We were at a friend’s house, and their dad got home from work. The kids all started yelling Daddy! and running to meet him at the door. My eldest got caught up in the moment and joined in, only for her face to fall when she realized her daddy wasn’t going to be home for a long time. I saw that there was a need for a way to explain to children that loved ones leave for the military because of love for them. They love their kids and family so much, they deploy to protect them.
How do you ensure the tone stays comforting without minimizing the reality of separation?
The reality of separation is very much present in the book, but I tried to pair different examples of the separation with reasons behind it. I focused on the freedoms and the safety that the children can enjoy because of the service of members in the military.
The story emphasizes routines and small moments of joy. Why was that important to include?
Life doesn’t and shouldn’t stop when family members deploy. It is so easy to fall into the trap of “Wait until Daddy gets home.” I wanted to show that fun and exciting things can still happen even though their loved ones may not be there to experience it with them.
What is one thing you hope families take away from Why I Must Go?
I want families, and especially children, to be proud of their loved ones for their service. To see the positive in their absence.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Being separated from a loved one for a long period of time is especially hard. But why is it that loved ones who serve in the military have to leave for so long? Why is it they have to miss important life events?
Why I Must Go explains to children that their loved ones leave because they love them very much, and that they serve their country to protect and ensure their freedom. It is hard, but they are not forgotten.
This book helps children understand that they are a service member’s motivation and encouragement for what they do.
Book pictures and storyline are applicable to all services and inclusive of all ranks.
Nurse Dorothea® Presents Depression and Accepting Resources to Help
Depression and Accepting Resources to Help is a children’s informational picture book about a girl named Amisha who visits her school nurse, Nurse Dorothea, because she thinks she may be dealing with depression. From there, the book walks through symptoms, risks, causes, treatment options, warning signs, and ways to ask for help, and it ends with Amisha telling her dad what she learned so they can make a doctor’s appointment before things get worse. It’s very much a health-focused educational story more than a traditional plot-driven tale, and that feels true to what the book wants to be.
I think readers will like how direct the writing is. Author Michael Dow doesn’t circle around the subject or soften it into something vague. He lets Nurse Dorothea speak clearly about sadness, hopelessness, suicidal thinking, medication, therapy, and emergency help, which makes the book feel serious in a way I respected. I kept noticing that the book carries a huge amount of information. Sometimes it reads less like a story and more like a guided lesson inside a picture book. It is worth noting that the emotional arc is a bit thinner than the educational one. Amisha gives the book a human center, but the real engine here is explanation.
I also found myself thinking about the author’s choice to frame all of this through a trusted school nurse. That was smart. It gives kids a clear model for what asking for help can look like, and it makes the book feel steady instead of scary. The illustrations help with that too, almost like the book is saying, sit down, breathe, let’s talk this through. I appreciated that the ideas stay practical. The message isn’t that one brave conversation magically fixes everything. The message is that support matters, treatment can take different forms, and learning the signs early matters. That grounded approach felt honest to me.
I would recommend this genre blend of children’s picture book and mental health education resource most for adults reading with kids, school counselors, nurses, teachers, and families who want a structured way to open a hard conversation. It’s especially useful for children who may be starting to notice sadness, worry, or changes in themselves or someone they love. Kids looking for a playful storybook may not connect with it in the same way, because this book is really built to inform first. But for readers who need clarity, reassurance, and a calm entry point into a difficult topic, I think it has real value.
Pages: 95
God, Love, and Family
Marion, Faith & Ice Cream follows an eight-year-old’s simple question about believing in God as it unfolds across one day, where family love, sensory wonder, and everyday beauty teach her how to see faith for herself. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration was my daughter’s family. The gift of becoming a grandparent is being able to view the development of a child from 30 thousand feet. As a parent, you are in the thick of the day-to-day duties and responsibilities, but as a grandparent, your experience allows you to see what really matters. Therefore, God, love, and family are the central elements.
How did you balance writing about faith for children in a way that feels gentle and discovered?
Thank you for asking the question this way. Children are so much more sensory-focused than intuitive, so it was important to me to connect the faith to something they can observe with their own senses. The unseen concepts of air and wind are ones children understand, so drawing the connection gives them a tangible connection to believing versus simply a spiritual one.
Marion’s father, being a scientist, adds an interesting dimension to the story. What drew you to pairing scientific observation with spiritual belief?
My son-in-law is an MD, so pairing a science angle that relies on “proof” with a child’s desire for something concrete seemed like a natural fit.
What do you hope children, and the adults reading with them, feel or talk about after they finish the book?
That God is calling us all to take a leap of faith. I think we all have a deep yearning to believe in something beyond what we can see. Therefore, I hope it gives children (and maybe even some adults) the simple framework to connect this tangible world with the spiritual one.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Marion isn’t sure. She’s eight years old, full of questions, and she’s never seen God. So how can she know He’s real?
Everything changes during one breezy Saturday. As she watches eagles glide above her, leaves swirl around the yard, and delights in a sparkling lake that seems to wink at her, Marion discovers that the world is filled with things she can’t see but still knows are true. And, maybe faith works the same way…
A beautiful picture book that helps children explore faith, family connections, and the amazing wonders all around us. With loving guidance from her dad, Marion learns that belief is so much more than just what meets the eye.
Why I Must Go
Why I Must Go, by Jennifer Nielsen Thill, is a gentle, reassuring children’s book about one of the hardest experiences a young child can face: a family member leaving for military service. Told in rhyme, the story centers on the bond between parent and child. It explains the reason for that separation with warmth, clarity, and a tone young readers can understand.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its use of rhyme to communicate a complicated emotional reality. The writing shows how children and families keep moving through daily life, finding joy in small moments and comfort in familiar routines. At the same time, it quietly underscores that these ordinary freedoms are safeguarded by the sacrifices of those in service. That balance gives the story unusual weight. The rhythmic language softens the subject without diminishing it, making the message feel steady and comforting rather than overwhelming.
The parent’s voice is especially effective throughout. Again and again, the narrative returns to love, devotion, and purpose. That choice shapes the emotional core of the book. Instead of allowing the sadness of separation to dominate, the story frames the parent’s absence through pride, protection, and deep care for the child. The result is tender and affirming.
Ilma Salman’s illustrations also play an essential role in the book’s emotional impact. Soft, expressive, and inviting, they work hand in hand with the text to create a sense of comfort. The artwork is simple in style, yet emotionally rich. Younger children can easily connect with the images and gain a small, approachable understanding of what this kind of work may look like for their family. The visuals also emphasize the everyday moments of childhood, reinforcing the idea that a child remains loved, supported, and cared for even when a parent is away.
Why I Must Go is a thoughtful and supportive book that will be especially meaningful for children in military or service families. It is well-suited to younger readers who respond to emotional storytelling and gentle reassurance. For families searching for a calm, positive way to talk about separation, this book is likely to feel both helpful and deeply comforting.
Pages: 34 | ASIN : B0CNN15ZLB
The Crow’s Ring
The Crow’s Ring is a middle-grade adventure mystery that follows Brandon and his friends as they try to save Captain Hodges’s beloved old tugboat, the Maryanne, from being scrapped, only to get pulled into a long-buried robbery tied to Stony Creek, a missing ring, and Brandon’s sharp-eyed pet crow, Ralph. What starts as a summer restoration project turns into a kid-led investigation full of hidden clues, family history, and plenty of chaos, with the tugboat itself feeling almost as important as any person in the story.
I liked how readable and alive the book feels. The voice is direct, funny, and easy to settle into, and it keeps moving. I could feel the authors leaning into cliffhangers, comic timing, and the energy of a close-knit friend group, and for the most part it works. Brandon is a likable guide through all of it, and the supporting cast each gets a clear shape fast, especially bold Penny, unpredictable Josh, and of course Ralph, who is not just a cute detail but a real engine for the plot. I also liked the way the book lets Captain Hodges be more than a gruff old eccentric. His attachment to the Maryanne, and the way the tug carries his grief and memory of his wife, gives the story a warmer, deeper current under all the antics.
What stayed with me was the book’s sense of place and its belief that kids can matter. Riverside, the marina, the creek, the rooftop with Ralph’s stash, all of it gives the novel a lived-in feel that keeps the mystery grounded even when the plot gets wonderfully busy. I was especially drawn to the way restoration and investigation mirror each other. The kids are not just fixing up a wrecked boat. They are also piecing together a damaged story, and in doing that they help give Captain Hodges a future again, especially once the old case starts opening doors and the Maryanne’s survival begins to look possible. That idea lands well without getting preachy. The book sometimes piles on the coincidences and broad comic beats, still, the warmth carries it.
I’d recommend The Crow’s Ring most to readers who enjoy middle-grade fiction with adventure, humor, friendship, and a mystery that feels old-fashioned in a good way. It has the pull of a summer caper, the structure of a clue-driven detective story, and just enough heart to make the whole thing feel grounded. I think it will especially click with younger readers who like ensemble casts, lively pacing, and stories where community, loyalty, and curiosity do real work. It feels like the kind of book you hand to a kid who wants excitement, but also wants to care.
Pages: 334 | ASIN : B0GHZM4DMT
