A smile is contagious. Ben, the star of Victor Dias de Oliveira Santos’s book, The Boy Who Illustrated Happiness, was a smiler. More importantly, Ben was an optimist. He loved art and lived and breathed to be creative. Those who smile a lot also tend...

Dylan loves to visit the local bakery and enjoy their fresh, tasty cupcakes. One day, when trying a new flavor, he breaks out into hives and suffers from a scratchy throat. A visit to the doctor confirms that Dylan has an allergy to tree nuts....

The Leaning Tower of Pizza, written by award-winning children’s author Derek Taylor Kent and illustrated by the diversely sourced Bright Jungle Studios, tells of a group of four children who mishear their geography and culture lessons, mistaking the Tower of Pisa for the Tower of...

In a special zoo where animals were well fed and well cared for, Jerry Giraffe was getting too much food and gaining weight, while Zany Zebra was getting too little food and losing weight. Mr. Dennis, the zookeeper, was baffled, but, upon the advice of...

One is Enough by Maurice Trent is a wonderful yet short story; more so, I would call it a lesson or even awakening. This story is told with few sentences overall, but it is accompanied by wonderful watercolor illustrations. Not only are they breathtaking, but...

The Little Chick by Nat Williams is a cute picture book for young children with an important message behind it. The story is based on a little chick who is mean to the other animals; she pokes fun at their appearance and it makes them...

Do you hear music in your heart? Your soul? Does it speak to you and make you want to sing? Maggie loves her music so much so that when she grows up, she wants to be a song. Even if she’s working in a bakery...

Holly’s Hollyhocks by Marsha Jackson is a sweet story about a little girl named Holly. One day she and her mom are at a garden center when she discovers a packet of seeds with her name. She buys a couple of packets and is excited...

Dreams can come true if you hope and dream hard enough. One young girl and an ornery pony no one else liked connected while she was working at a local stable. The pony’s name was Me Too and, even though others thought the pony was...

Bummer is a pet bighorn sheep. When she started getting weak, the family called the vet and were told to feed her only goat’s milk. After a few days of driving a fair distance to obtain the goat’s milk, Dad decides to purchase the family’s...