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Ginger the Pony Learns about Goodness: Goodness is a Fruit of The Spirit
Ginger the Pony Learns about Goodness by J.M. Ashmore is a tender and heartfelt story. It reminds readers, both young and old, how far a little kindness can go.
The book follows Ginger, a beautiful wild pony with a striking, velvety red coat, as she travels with her friends toward Thunderhoof Hill. Along the way, greed gets the better of her. She eats far more grass than she needs and dismisses Snowy Dove’s gentle warnings. Before long, Ginger’s selfish behavior begins to affect her friendships. The hurt she causes is unintentional, yet it feels genuine and relatable. Many children will recognize what happens when strong impulses overpower better judgment.
The true heart of the story emerges through Ginger’s transformation. She begins to understand that kindness and friendship matter far more than simply getting what she wants. Her journey from selfishness to generosity is touching and believable. More importantly, the lesson unfolds naturally. The story communicates its message about goodness without ever sounding like a lecture.
The illustrations deserve special praise. They are gorgeous and bring each scene vividly to life. Ginger and her pony friends gallop across the pages with their manes streaming in the wind. Every image captures a wonderful sense of movement, freedom, and adventure. The artwork complements the narrative beautifully. From the opening page, readers can easily lose themselves in Ginger’s world.
I especially appreciated how the book extends the experience beyond the main story. It concludes with questions and answers that encourage children to reflect on what they have read. Fun facts about wild ponies add an educational element without feeling forced or out of place. These thoughtful additions give young readers another reason to revisit the book. Each reading may offer a fresh detail, idea, or lesson to discover.
At its core, this is a story about goodness, friendship, and the quiet power of kindness. Its central message is clear: greed and selfishness cannot triumph over generosity and love. Ashmore delivers that lesson with warmth, charm, and gentle humor.
Pages: 32 | ASIN : B0GX3B552N
Glenna the Gorilla Learns About Gentleness: Gentleness Is a Fruit of the Spirit
Glenna the Gorilla Learns about Gentleness, by J.M. Ashmore, follows a playful young gorilla who’s full of energy, curiosity, and good intentions, but who hasn’t quite learned how much her strength affects the world around her. As Glenna swings, climbs, explores, and plays with her new friend Gia, she accidentally pushes too hard, breaks a fragile nest, startles a butterfly, and even hurts herself. Through these small but meaningful moments, she begins to understand that gentleness isn’t weakness. It’s care in action, for friends, animals, delicate things, and her own body.
I appreciated how simply the story handles a virtue that can feel abstract to young children. Gentleness becomes something visible and practical here: a softer push, a slower hand, a more careful step. I found that especially useful because the book doesn’t scold Glenna for being spirited. It lets her remain joyful and enthusiastic while gently showing her how to bring thoughtfulness into that energy. The writing is clear and steady, with enough repetition and playful sound to keep young readers anchored. There’s a sweetness to Glenna’s mistakes that feels true to childhood. Kids often learn through their bodies first, and this story understands that.
The artwork is warm, bright, and inviting, with soft forest greens, golden light, round expressive faces, and a cheerful sense of movement. Glenna’s world feels safe and sunny, which suits the book’s tender message. I especially liked the scenes with the tire swing, the butterfly, and the bird’s egg because they give the idea of gentleness a visual tenderness children can feel before they fully explain it. The faith element is present but not heavy-handed, framed through the Fruit of the Spirit and supported by discussion questions, a short gorilla fact section, and a Bible verse at the end. That extra material makes the book feel less like a quick read and more like a conversation starter for families.
Glenna the Gorilla Learns about Gentleness is a thoughtful picture book with a clear moral center and a genuinely useful message. It’s best for preschool and early elementary children, especially those who are big-hearted, busy, impulsive, or still learning how to be careful with their strength, their words, and the little living things around them.
Pages: 29 | ASIN : B0GT4876RD
Higher Callings for Our Lives
The Mighty Mountain follows a tall and mighty mountain who is struck by an earthquake and reduced to a pile of sticks and has to find a new purpose in life. What was the inspiration for your story?
I recall praying for ideas about 8 years ago for something of value that would be impactful to people, build a legacy for my family, and God imparted a parable about a mountain to my mind and I couldn’t shake it. I felt the message behind the story was so powerful and moving to everyone young and old that it had to be shared. I wanted this book to be a classic story that will stick with people for a lifetime like The Little Engine That Could, The Giving Tree, or The Hungry Caterpillar. When I expanded the parable into an illustrative story, I was motivated to have others see and feel what I experienced in that moment when the story was first placed on my heart.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Some of the ideas that I wanted to share in this book were about the idea of change and discovering your purpose. In life, you sometimes find out that you are good at something and you devote all of your energy into it and believe you found your thing. So much so that you’ve placed your entire worth in that thing and if you can’t do that thing you fall into the trap of believing you’re worthless. The truth is we evolve, go through seasons, and have higher callings for our lives. Sometimes it’s related to what we were doing before but sometimes it isn’t. Young and old go through tragedies of different magnitudes impacting what they were doing and I want to share the idea of hope within them. Hope that they are more and will make an impact somewhere else.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Wilker Aguiar Souza?
Working with Wilker was fantastic, I felt we worked very well together! The Mighty Mountain was my first book, and I had a vision for how the mountain should look. Early in the process, I made sketches of how each character would look and respond in the different scenes. Several years later when going through character development, I provided Wilker with the manuscript, explained how I wanted the mountain to look, and when he provided his initial sketches for the character development I was shocked! They were eerily close to what I drew years before. That was confirmation for me that Wilker was supposed to be the illustrator for this project. I gave him creative freedom to make the story come alive with vibrant colors and tones to convey the emotion of the mountain as it went through its transformational process.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I have several books that I am working on. The adult companion book for The Mighty Mountain is in the editing stage and should be available within the next six months. That book will go a little deeper and provide the adults and parents with more insight to help them apply the ideas that are embedded within The Mighty Mountain to their circumstances. Additionally, I have inspired my daughter to write a book. She has a love of baking and co-authored a magnificent book called Cookie-Day, Cookie-Day which is available on Amazon.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Website | Amazon
