Racee Acee and the Toboggan Race


Children - Adventure
42 Pages
Reviewed on 09/14/2023
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

With multiple educational degrees and over 30 years of working with young children, I am now an award-winning author!
During the coronavirus pandemic, with nowhere to go, I started writing the stories I had been thinking about throughout my teaching career. Inspired by the many children I worked with, the stories flowed onto my computer. I have published several children's books and won many awards. I am now working on chapter books for young adults.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite

Racee Acee and the Toboggan Race by Debbie Hepner with illustrations by Hayley Moore is a lovely children’s book that teaches the value of teamwork. Racee Acee is excited about the upcoming toboggan race and with the help of her best friends, she knows it’ll be the best race yet. There’s just one problem: they need the sled to go faster. They gather on the thinking porch and come up with creative ideas which include bacon grease and crayon wax. Not every plan goes well, such as the bacon grease attracting hungry dogs that chase them down the hill. But Racee and her friends have so much fun working together and with some dedicated teamwork, they come up with a plan just in time for the big race. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have a little help from Bub the cat.

The illustrations have soft shades and make use of gray and blue for the sky to create a chilly winter feeling as the perfect backdrop for them to prepare for the toboggan race. Vivid details help to establish the different characters with small things that show minor differences in their personalities. Each character is realistically drawn and set against a background that has a subtle and playful aspect to it that gives the winter's day an almost magical tone. Bub is an adorable character who, despite not having any lines, is a total scene-stealer. The writing is simple, providing an easy read for younger children or as a bedtime story. Racee Acee and her friends come up with solutions for making their sled go faster. The ideas they dream up follow a cute child-like logic such as a banana peel because those are slippery, bacon grease, and crayons which will amuse children and mirror their way of thinking.

The plot depicts the process of brainstorming through trial and error with each idea being tried out until they find the one that is the most successful. Racee Acee and her friends don’t accept defeat and even when an idea doesn’t work they simply come up with another plan. This demonstrates the importance of positive thinking and not giving up. Racee Acee and the Toboggan Race by Debbie Hepner explores multiple themes such as teamwork, problem-solving, reward for effort, and friendship which are easy for younger children to understand.

Amy Louise Hill

Racee Acee and the Toboggan Race by Debbie Hepner is a fun picture book for young children. Friends Acee, Mia, Riley, and Tobias are preparing their toboggan for the big annual race. After testing their toboggan, they all agree that it needs to go faster. They sit and ponder as to what they can use to speed it up. They try bacon grease, wax, and even melted crayons. After each test run, they evaluate which of their options worked the best. Will it be enough to win them the race, and what was it that made their toboggan go extra fast? Find out in this adventurous tale.

Racee Acee and the Toboggan Race was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed every page of this wonderful book by the talented Debbie Hepner. She has created a simple yet enormously entertaining story that children are going to love and learn from and I never once lost interest. It teaches important life lessons that I believe to be vital for children's upbringing. The story is written in plain language to allow children to follow along easily and the illustrations by Hayley Moore are amusing, imaginative, and professional. So if you are looking for a boredom breaker or a good book to read before your child’s bedtime, then I highly recommend this one. I believe this is only one of her creations, so there is plenty more enjoyment to be had. Keep up the great work, Debbie and Hayley. I look forward to seeing more from you soon.

David Korson

Debbie Hepner’s picture book Racee Acee and the Toboggan Race wraps up a few valuable lessons for young readers in an enjoyable package. Acee and her friends are a few days away from the annual toboggan race and they want to do all they can to speed up their sled. After a brief brainstorming session, they try rubbing bacon grease on the bottom to make it go faster. Their efforts result in an unexpected, and somewhat humorous, outcome. With another suggestion to speed up their toboggan, these four friends work together to implement a creative idea that just might work. When race day finally arrives, surprises abound as they discover whether or not their toboggan is the fastest.

Racee Acee and the Toboggan Race is a winter-themed treat for kids. This lively children’s book offers an endearing tale of light-hearted competition built upon a sturdy base of friendship. But where it really shines is in the lessons it provides on collaboration, cooperation, and actualization. I appreciate that it shows how, by not taking things too seriously, we can still find satisfaction when our efforts don’t work out the way we plan. The text is expressive while remaining simple enough for early readers to grasp, and the colorful artwork will draw the attention of pre-readers and keep them engaged. The smiling faces of the diverse characters add to the charm and overall upbeat tone of the book. Your children are sure to love reading about Acee and her friends in Debbie Hepner’s exciting, entertaining, and educational story.

Jennie More

Racee Acee and the Toboggan Race by Debbie Hepner is a children's storybook about a group of friends who enter a toboggan race. Together, they come up with ideas on how to make their toboggan go faster so that they can win the race. Acee, Mia, Tobias, and Riley suggest various solutions and try them out before the big race day. They have fun testing their ideas in action. When something doesn't work, they return to the drawing board, brainstorm, and try again until they find a solution. This book demonstrates excitingly and colorfully how children should work as a team toward a common goal and how to support each other every step of the way. The friends encourage each other as they work to find a solution together.

Racee Acee and the Toboggan Race by Debbie Hepner is an adventure-filled and delightful story teaching children about the wonders they can achieve through teamwork, imagination, and action. The story is well written, and the illustrations are bright and fun-filled, beautifully complementing the story. They depict how the friends work together and enjoy themselves while learning and growing. They can share their ideas, confident that their friends will welcome their views, and consider and discuss them. No one is humiliated when suggestions don't work and they simply move on to the next solution. It's all about trial and error while portraying a vital message that it's okay to err as long as you never give up. This book will provide young children with inspiring and valuable life lessons.

Shrabastee Chakraborty

Acee, Riley, Mia, and Tobias wanted to participate in a toboggan race. While they enjoyed sliding down the snowy hill at a breakneck speed, they believed the sled had to go even faster if they were to win the race. The four friends held a grand discussion, brainstorming different ideas to enhance their pace. Should they use banana peels to make the sled more slippery? Would bacon grease do the trick? Will their carefully contrived plans be successful? Find out in Racee Acee and the Toboggan Race, a children’s book written by Debbie Hepner and illustrated by Hayley Moore.

I loved the sweet and simple storyline that is perfect for a young audience. The book is concise, with the pages containing only a few sentences each, making it easy for young readers to grasp the story. Debbie Hepner highlighted the resourcefulness of the friends, who were eager to improve their methods until they got the desired result. She also demonstrated why it was important to work as a team to succeed. The vibrant, eye-catching illustrations further added to the charm. I loved that the illustrator rendered the friends as being diverse in their appearances. The bright colors of the characters’ clothing sparkled in contrast to the bluish-white snowy backdrop. Whether the four children were enjoying a delicious meal or excited during a downhill race, their facial expressions were spot on every time. The helpful glossary highlighted the take-home messages. Racee Acee and the Toboggan Race is a perfect read for children aged 2-7 years.