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Johnny Peppertoes
Johnny Peppertoes follows Johnny Ashton, a spirited boy growing up in 1950s Plainsville, as he stumbles through anger, grief, friendship, fear, and unexpected bravery. After his father is badly injured in a mill fire, Johnny has to grow up in ways he doesn’t fully understand yet. With the help of his mother, his cat Simms, his new friends Tom and Nathan, and the quiet refuge of his treehouse, he slowly learns that courage isn’t about never being scared. It’s about telling the truth, asking for help, and doing the right thing when it matters.
What stayed with me most was the book’s old-fashioned moral heartbeat. I liked that Johnny is allowed to be messy. He gets angry, wants revenge, sneaks around, makes questionable choices, and sometimes lets fear steer him straight into trouble. But the story never shames him for being a child. Instead, it gives him room to learn. I liked that his father’s lessons keep echoing through the book even when his father is absent, because that felt emotionally honest to me. Children do carry our words with them, sometimes in ways we don’t see until much later. The writing has a homespun, earnest quality, full of period details, family sayings, soda fountains, fishing trips, parade wagons, and neighborhood mischief.
The ideas in the book are sincere and surprisingly layered. It touches on grief, disability, honesty, prayer, patriotism, community, and the fragile pride of childhood without making Johnny feel like a lesson pasted onto a page. I was especially moved by the way the story treats his eyesight and his smallness. Those details don’t define him, but they shape how he moves through the world, and I found that quietly powerful. The artwork adds to that feeling. The illustrations have a pencil-sketched, youthful charm. I found that fitting. The drawings have a candid, handmade energy that matches Johnny’s scrappy personality and the book’s nostalgic setting. Some images are playful and some simply catch the warmth of a small-town moment.
I found Johnny Peppertoes to be a heartfelt, character-driven story with a strong sense of memory behind it. For young readers who enjoy gentle adventure, moral reflection, vintage small-town settings, and stories about children discovering their own courage, there’s a lot here to enjoy. I’d recommend it for older elementary readers, especially those who like classic-feeling tales about friendship, family, bravery, and the idea that kids really can make a difference.
Pages: 115 | ASIN: B09DGL1LWN
Actionable Steps
Rowen and the Animal Shelter follows a young boy who discovers how animal shelters care for homeless pets—and how he can make a difference—after finding a stray dog near his home. What draws you to write children’s literature?
I volunteer for the Louisiana State Animal Response Team (LSART) and decided one of the things I wanted to do for prevention was to help educate on pet preparedness, care, and what shelters do. I decided to develop educational tools for kids after thinking about how firefighters influence families to make a fire plan by talking to kids, who, in turn, go home and start asking their parents what their plan is.
How did you develop Rowen as a character, and is he inspired by anyone in particular?
Rowen is actually my young son. One of the most fulfilling things as a mom has been watching him grow and be curious about the world around him as he discovers new things. I mimicked the character after Rowen-curious and always wanting to help.
How did you balance educational information with storytelling?
I wanted there to be a story that kids want to hear the ending of, while also teaching them without being tramatic or sad. So I decided to follow the natural flow as it might happen in real life with the character asking questions that I often hear when I do presentations.
What do you think children can teach adults about compassion toward animals?
I try to focus on actionable steps people can take. For example, making sure our pets have a safe home and vet care. How pets are viewed, and the standards of care, have changed a lot, just as our own system has. I also wanted to show that anyone can make an impact with small acts of volunteering. So to me, it’s more about actions than teaching how to feel compassion.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
When Rowen and his mom discover a stray dog in their yard, he’s not sure what to do. After animal control safely brings the pup to the local shelter, Rowen is full of questions—what is an animal shelter, and what happens to the animals there?
After Rowen learns how shelters care for lost or abandoned animals, he’s inspired to help. He starts by donating toys and treats, but soon his small acts of kindness spark a big movement—his classmates join in to support the shelter!
Rowen and the Animal Shelter is a heartwarming story that introduces children to the important role of animal shelters and the joy of community service. Perfect for families and educators, this book encourages empathy, responsibility, and compassion for animals in need.
Bella Brown Meets Pip the Domovoi
Bella Brown Meets Pip the Domovoi follows a curious young girl whose grandmother’s bedtime stories about Slavic household spirits suddenly become real. When Bella discovers Pip emerging from the fireplace, she learns that he has lost Papa Pip’s magical key, leaving the domovoi world vulnerable to the sorcerer Sinti. With sunrise approaching, Bella and Pip race through the house, follow the glow of her inherited butterfly locket, and discover that Bella has a larger role in this hidden world than she ever imagined.
I enjoyed how the story turns an ordinary nighttime setting into something wonderfully strange. Fireplaces, rattling tea tins, refrigerator gaps, and old family jewelry all become part of the adventure. I especially appreciated the relationship between Bella and Grandma Yetta. Their affection feels authentic, and the idea that courage, responsibility, and family history can be passed from one generation to another gives the book genuine emotional weight. The writing is playful and energetic, full of exaggerated phrases, sparkling objects, and gleeful sound effects.
The artwork carries much of the book’s personality. The warm colors of Bella’s home make the nighttime scenes feel cozy, while the cool blues and glittering light around Pip create a clear sense that something magical has crossed into the room. Pip’s transformations are funny, expressive, and just mischievous enough, particularly when his nervous shape-shifting produces a tree with a tail and an embarrassing little puff of glitter. I also liked the small visual details tucked into the rooms, which invite children to linger and search. Beneath all that color and comedy is a thoughtful idea: bravery doesn’t require perfect confidence. Bella and Pip both make mistakes, feel afraid, and keep going anyway.
I found this to be an imaginative and affectionate introduction to a lesser-known piece of Slavic folklore, wrapped in a lively domestic adventure. It balances urgency with silliness and ends on a reassuring note about growing into responsibility with help from the people who came before us. I’d recommend this children’s book to kids ages four to eight who enjoy magical creatures, family stories, hidden worlds, and picture books that give parents plenty of expressive dialogue to perform aloud.
Pages: 40 | ASIN: B0H4RJN5NF
Glow Power: Unlocking Healing and Transformation
Glow Power, by Jacqueline Lopez and Joy Peyton, follows Jake, a boy who gets trapped in an elevator, transforms into a Cardinal Avatar, and travels back to 1921 Tulsa, where he witnesses the beauty of Greenwood before the Tulsa Race Massacre and then the terror of its destruction. Through his bond with Teyanna and the other Dunbar children, Jake learns that history is not just something to study for school, but something to feel, grieve, honor, and carry forward through love, justice, and daily acts of healing.
I found this book brave in both its ambition and its tenderness. It takes on an enormously painful part of American history, but it doesn’t begin with tragedy. It first lets children see Greenwood as alive, intelligent, joyful, and full of promise. That choice mattered to me. The writing can be breathless and emotionally packed, but there’s a childlike urgency to it that fits Jake’s experience. I could feel his confusion, his wonder, his nausea, his hope. The story doesn’t always move quietly, but it does move with a big, open heart.
The artwork gives the book a vivid, animated energy that children will connect with right away. Jake’s cardinal form is bright and expressive, and Teyanna’s glow brings a softness that balances the darker moments. I especially appreciated the contrast between the warm, playful scenes of friendship and planting seeds and the later images of smoke, fear, and loss. The ideas are powerful, sometimes overwhelming: forgiveness, anti-racism, memory, activism, and the belief that children can become “guardians” of a more loving world. The strongest parts were often the simplest ones: children reading, playing, touching Jake’s wings, planting together, and being allowed to matter.
I came away moved by the book’s sincerity and its insistence that children deserve honest stories about history, not softened ones that leave out pain. Glow Power is a heartfelt, imaginative, and deeply purposeful picture book that would be is best for suited to older elementary readers, especially when read with a parent, teacher, or caregiver nearby to talk through the Tulsa Race Massacre, racism, grief, and healing. It’s a good fit for families and classrooms ready for a serious, compassionate conversation about history, empathy, and what it means to choose love with courage.
Pages: 63
So You Want To Be A Lawyer
Linda Soules’s So You Want To Be A Lawyer is an engaging and informative children’s book that gives young readers a realistic look at the legal profession. Many kids may imagine lawyers as people who simply argue loudly in courtrooms, but this book shows that the job is much more thoughtful, complex, and meaningful. Lawyers read carefully, choose words with precision, solve problems, interpret laws, and stand up for people who need help navigating a complicated system.
One of the book’s strongest features is the way it walks readers through a real day in the life of a lawyer. From researching cases and meeting with clients to preparing paperwork and making court arguments, Soules presents the profession in a way that is easy for children to understand. The book also explains different legal specialties, such as family, criminal, and environmental law, helping readers see that there are many paths within the field. The discussion of the tools, skills, and traits lawyers need, including honesty, critical thinking, compassion, and strong communication, makes this a valuable career guide.
I especially enjoyed how the book balances inspiration with honesty. It doesn’t only focus on the exciting or rewarding parts of being a lawyer, such as helping others and fighting for fairness. It also explains the harder parts, including long hours, difficult cases, and the responsibility lawyers carry when representing clients. The fun facts, including unusual court cases, medieval animal trials, and the Supreme Court’s hidden basketball court, add humor and surprise. The profiles of legal figures such as Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Bryan Stevenson, and Constance Baker Motley give young readers real examples of people who used law to change history.
The illustrations help make challenging ideas more approachable, and the glossary, recommended resources, and author’s note add even more value. This book would be a wonderful addition to homes, classrooms, and libraries, especially during career units or discussions about rules, fairness, and justice. Even children who do not plan to become lawyers can learn a great deal from this book about how laws shape daily life and why careful thinking matters. So You Want To Be A Lawyer is an inspiring, accessible, and thoughtful read for curious kids who love asking questions, noticing details, and standing up for what is fair.
Pages: 39 | ISBN: 1972766430
Forgiveness Can Help Us Heal
Binny and Dash: The Wild Between Us follows a grieving house cat drawn into a dangerous conflict between pets, raccoons, and humans, where she must learn that courage sometimes means choosing mercy over fear. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The story began with my own cat, Binny. I adopted her on a snowy day when she appeared at my door. She had been a stray farm cat looking for safety and a new beginning.
In the story, Binny’s grief over losing her kitten reflects my own grief after losing my beloved older cat to cancer. As I watched Binny adjust to her new life, I was struck by her quiet courage and her willingness to trust again and become part of our family.
That experience inspired me to imagine a larger adventure. I wanted to explore how loss can shape us, but also how compassion, friendship, and forgiveness can help us heal. Although the novel is a work of fiction, its emotional heart comes from a very real relationship with a remarkable cat.
The story challenges the idea of “enemies” by making Dash and the raccoons more complex than they first appear. Why was that moral gray area important to you?
I wanted young readers to question the idea of who an “enemy” really is. We often judge others too quickly, pointing fingers based on appearances, fear, or stereotypes. In reality, there is usually more to the story.
I believe it is important for children to gather the facts before making decisions about people—or animals. Understanding another person’s perspective can lead to empathy instead of conflict. Through Binny and Dash, I hope readers see that courage is not only about facing danger, but also about looking beyond first impressions and choosing compassion over prejudice.
Nature, scent, weather, and animal instincts play a major role in the book’s atmosphere. How did you approach writing the sensory world of the animals?
I grew up with pets, so I spent countless hours closely observing their behavior. As a child, I often imagined that I was one of them, trying to see the world through their eyes. That childhood curiosity stayed with me.
Playing freely in fields with my cats and dogs gave me a deep appreciation for nature—the changing weather, the smells carried by the wind, the sounds of birds, and the textures of grass, trees, and soil. Those memories helped me imagine how animals experience the world primarily through scent, instinct, and heightened awareness rather than words.
When I wrote Binny and Dash, I wanted readers to step into that sensory world and experience nature as the animals do.
4Lucy is secretive but not simply cruel, which complicates Binny’s assumptions. What do you hope young readers take from that relationship?
Lucy and Binny’s relationship grows out of events in my first book, Binny and the Moon Girl. In that story, the veterinarian, Dr. Andreas, tries to capture Binny’s adopted daughter. Because Lucy works at the veterinary clinic, Binny assumes she has betrayed her family and cannot be trusted.
As the story unfolds, however, Binny discovers that Lucy has been secretly helping a mother raccoon protect and save her babies. That revelation forces Binny to question her assumptions.
I hope young readers learn an important lesson: don’t rush to judge others or jump to conclusions. We rarely know the whole story. It is important to observe carefully, ask questions, and gather the facts before making a decision. Understanding the truth often requires patience, empathy, and an open mind.
But when a mischievous raccoon turns the neighborhood upside down, she’s pulled into a chase she never expected.
Through gardens, alleyways, and deep into the forest, Binny follows the trail—only to discover this isn’t just about stopping a troublemaker. It’s about secrets from her past she can’t escape.
With her friends by her side, Binny must face her fears and decide what truly makes a hero.
Binny and Dash: The Wild Between Us is a powerful adventure about courage, friendship, and the strength it takes to understand instead of fight.
Sometimes the greatest courage isn’t fighting—it’s understanding.
Indie’s Next Chapter in Life
Indie Roo Is Now A Mother Too! is a heartwarming children’s book about family, safety, and growing up in the Australian wilderness. What inspired you to turn the real kangaroos visiting your backyard into characters in the Roo Series?
My mother read to me every night before bed until I was around seven. To this day, I can’t see a deer without thinking of Bambi, or a horse without thinking of Black Beauty. A mouse brings to mind Stuart Little, and yes, even spiders make me think of magnificent Charlotte of Charlotte’s Web. Those books instilled in me my earliest feelings of connection with wildlife.
Fifty years later, while wandering around our property in Australia with the two orphaned kangaroos I was raising (Max and Indie), I was saddened to have learned how little most people really know about these iconic Aussies. Watching them bounce at my heels, weaving through the bush and over rocks, I found myself thinking back to those stories that had touched me when I was a child.
I was now so privileged to have experienced first-hand their individually unique personalities, their love for one another, their almost human behavioural and emotional qualities.
It struck me that most people never get the chance to know kangaroos this way.
So, I began to wonder if I could do for kangaroos what those childhood books did for me.
How did Indie’s journey into motherhood shape the message you wanted young readers to take from this story?
Watching Indie raise Charlie confirmed that kangaroos are indeed sentient beings. The way they care for and raise their children is actually very similar to ours. My hope is that children will see themselves in Charlie and see their parents in Indie. That moment of pride that Indie feels at the end of the story is a universal feeling for every mother, and I want kids to know that too. By relating to Charlie, my hope is that empathy and curiosity for kangaroos and other wildlife will naturally follow.
But this story isn’t only about Charlie growing up; it’s also about Indie’s next chapter in life. She is a first-time mother, instinctively figuring it out. She wants to raise her boy to be confident, capable, and independent. So, my hope is that parents too will connect with this book while learning a bit about kangaroos.
Charlie’s separation from Indie is an important moment in the book. What did you hope children would learn from that scene?
Indie returned home almost every day after Charlie was born, sometimes spending just an hour or two napping on our patio or veranda, and sometimes most of the day. When Charlie was one year old, while Indie was sleeping, he went off into the bush exploring with Darcy, an 18-month-old kangaroo that was on soft release at my property.
I was there when Indie woke up and started panicking that Charlie had disappeared. I felt so helpless as she hopped around looking for him, returning to me over and over again hoping I could tell her where he went. Eventually, she came back to the bed where she had last been with him and she waited.
An hour later, Charlie came bouncing down the hill, looking so proud of himself. It was his first big excursion on his own. As soon as Indie could sense he was on his way home, she closed her eyes and pretended she was still sleeping and hadn’t been worried at all. It was the cutest thing. A few minutes later, she got up and showered him with kisses and cuddles.
I am fascinated with how many kangaroo behaviours are so similar to our own. When I was a young girl and we were out, my parents always said, “If we get separated for any reason, you come back to this very spot and I will do the same”. It worked. Having a plan gave me confidence as I was growing up, and provided my parents with a sense of security as well.
This section of the story also gave me the opportunity to introduce other wildlife of the area. While these books are lyrical in nature, they were crafted to be useful in school classrooms. The Red Rabbit Books website has a downloadable guide for both home and school educators to use along with behind the books stories, photos and videos of the real-life happenings that informed each page.
The watercolor illustrations capture so much beauty in the Australian landscape. How closely did you work with the illustrator to bring that world to life?
I am the illustrator as well as the author of the Red Rabbit Books Roo Series. The third book is scheduled for release around Easter 2027. When my husband and I relocated to NSW, Australia, in 2020, I obtained a license to care for local wildlife.
While raising orphaned eastern grey kangaroo joeys, I started adjusting my watercolour painting style to better suit the children’s books I now wanted to write. By then, I had already been raising funds for local wildlife sanctuaries as a wildlife conservation artist for a few years.
My thousands of videos and photographs of these glorious creatures have certainly come in handy.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Facebook | Website
Kiki Finds Her Way
Peni Clark’s Kiki Finds Her Way, illustrated by Penny Weber, is a delightful addition to the Courage to Be Me series. It carries its message with grace and charm: real courage often begins when we learn to embrace the very things that make us different. From the opening page, Weber’s adorable illustrations draw readers into Kiki’s underwater world. I found myself just as enchanted as young children are sure to be.
The story follows Kiki, an octopus beginning her first day at Sea Floor School. Almost immediately, she becomes the focus of curious stares and unkind teasing, largely because she has eight arms while her classmates do not. Her natural octopus abilities, such as camouflaging and squirting ink, only make her feel more embarrassed. Instead of feeling special, Kiki wishes she could disappear into the crowd. Many children will recognize that tender, familiar ache: the longing to belong.
What makes this story especially memorable is the way it transforms Kiki’s differences into strengths. When her classmates face danger, the very traits that once made her feel ashamed become the tools she needs to help them. Her camouflage, her ink, and her many arms allow her to act with courage when it matters most. Kiki’s journey from embarrassment to self-acceptance unfolds naturally, without feeling rushed or overly instructive. The story delivers its lesson gently, allowing the heart of the narrative to speak for itself.
As part of the Courage to Be Me series, Kiki Finds Her Way fits beautifully within a trilogy devoted to helping children build confidence in who they are. Its message is simple, powerful, and deeply worthwhile: our differences are not flaws to hide, but gifts waiting to be recognized. That is a lesson every child who has ever felt out of place deserves to hear.
Penny Weber’s illustrations deserve special praise. They are warm, vibrant, and full of personality, bringing Sea Floor School to life with color and movement. Even the wiggliest young readers will find plenty to hold their attention. Kiki herself is wonderfully expressive, and her emotional journey can be seen clearly in every shift of her face and posture.
A charming bonus appears at the end of the book: a page of fascinating octopus facts for curious minds, along with a fun sing-along song that extends the reading experience beyond the final page.
Kiki Finds Her Way is a heartwarming read brimming with personality, compassion, and quiet wisdom. I would happily recommend it to families, teachers, and anyone seeking a gentle, engaging way to talk with children about embracing their differences. It is a wonderful reminder, for kids and adults alike, that what makes us different is often exactly what makes us shine.
Pages: 40 | ASIN : B0H535SB51
