Mila & Friends: Destined to Be

An Encouragement Booster to Build Self-confidence

Children - Social Issues
Kindle Edition
Reviewed on 06/19/2022
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

LaTonya is the author of an Amazon bestselling, a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), a pediatric registered dental hygienist, and a certified dental assistant. She is happily known as "The Brown Tooth Fairy™." She has been in the dental industry for 13 years and understands the challenges parents face when it comes to their child's oral hygiene care. LaTonya is on a mission to stop dental issues before they start. She focuses on the need for diverse children's dental literature such as “Mila’s Big Day, First Dental Visit” and “Fuzzy Tooth Critters,” to promote early childhood dental hygiene care and help children cope with their dental fears. Additionally, she's committed to creating mindfulness children's stories that focus on imagination, dream building, and self-awareness. She strives to "do all things with love" while helping young minds flourish stronger and brighter through literature, one smile at a time.

LaTonya values quality family time. When she's not writing, LaTonya is creating affirmation apparel designs, playing family games, and enjoying community outreach opportunities. She's a South Carolina native.

Say hi at latonyabutler.com or connect with @brown_toothfairy on Instagram; Facebook at @thebrowntoothfairy.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Mr. Eli has announced to the class that they will be having a career day and everyone is to dress up in their chosen profession and present it to the class. In order to choose a career, they must first choose a letter. Mila chooses the letter ‘D’; now she has to choose a career that starts with ‘D.’ She’s worried she won’t find something suitable for her. She can’t be a dancer because she gets all the moves wrong; she can’t be a DJ because Mr. Eli says no music is allowed in the presentations. So what will she be? And will she have the courage to present her career and impress both the class and the teacher?

LaTonya Butler’s picture book, Mila & Friends: Destined to Be, is an encouragement booster story to help young readers build their self-confidence. The plot is simple: it follows Mila’s dilemma of choosing a career to present to the class and how she struggles with her choice and her self-confidence in presenting her choice. There is lots of dialogue to make this an easy read for young readers and the bright, colorful illustrations help carry the story along. There are several powerful messages packed into this little gem of a book. Not only is the author hoping to help young readers build their self-confidence, but this building block also includes self-love, discovery, and motivation. We are all unique, individual, and powerful in our own right and we can dream big and aspire to those dreams. At the end of the book, after Mila has presented her career choice, there is a brief biography of two historic figures who also worked hard to achieve their dreams and follow the same career choice. Beautifully told and presented.