Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Nana’s Heartwarming Tales: Little Echoes by Vicki Johnpeer features four friends—Cara, Buddy, Aimee, and Jed—alongside narrator Cory, a hummingbird. Throughout the actions by the kids, important lessons in friendship, patience, helping others, forgiveness, and making choices are conveyed. In Windy Hill, the kids work together to find a lost cap, displaying teamwork. Fee-Bee tells of their efforts to assist a baby bird in need, teaching compassion. Count, Then Count Again portrays Cara managing anger after a frustrating baseball game. In Best Fans Ever, the friends support each other, focusing on forgiveness. Locket in My Pocket teaches them to make the right decisions when Cara faces a choice. Every story ends with a question prompt from Cory that encourages readers to participate and become a part of the lesson themselves.

Little Echoes is the third book our family has read in the collection by Vicki Johnpeer, and the consensus is that it is our favorite so far. Like the other books, the stories that Johnpeer writes are age-appropriate, and go a long way in providing an effective medium for delivering the morals of the tales in an authentic, relatable way. Johnpeer's illustrations are pencil sketches with punches of bright primary colors, and their simplicity complements the storytelling beautifully. My daughter's favorite story, Locket in My Pocket, has a sing-along with Cara, and features song lyrics to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” It adds a bit of whimsy to the piece and the rhythm makes it surprisingly easy to learn. Overall, Little Echoes is a perfect addition to the nighttime book reading routine and a delight to share. Very highly recommended.