The Lonely Toadstool

A Children's Book About Emotions and New Friends That Come as We Find Our Voice

Children - Picture Book
36 Pages
Reviewed on 09/10/2022
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Author Biography

Kristin finds wonder and beauty in all things—her greatest inspirations being her children, love of nature and music.

Her passion for poetry had already begun by age two as she recited Mother Goose nursery rhymes and other beloved children’s verses by heart. In fact, her childhood nickname was “Goose!”

Regarding The Lonely Toadstool, she says, “One morning I awoke with two words fresh in my mind: mushroom and poem. I followed my intuition, and later that morning The Lonely Toadstool came to life.”

Connecting little ones and their big people with the magic of books and nature is one of her most profound joys, a natural result of the fifteen years she spent homeschooling her own children.

Kristin makes her home in Cincinnati, Ohio where she lives with her family amidst dogs, cats, fish, turtles, a herd of guinea pigs, and a mélange of furred, feathered, scaled and other forest friends.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Diana Lopez for Readers' Favorite

It is normal for all of us to feel sad and lonely on occasion, but it can be more complicated for young children to deal with those feelings. The Lonely Toadstool: A Children's Book About Emotions and New Friends That Come as We Find Our Voice will show young readers how to express their emotions. Children will feel comfortable and understand that it is just as beneficial to accept help as it is to help others. This tale concerns a toadstool who, alone in the middle of the forest, thinks about his situation. He is sad because besides being alone, he feels different from others. At one point, he cried so loudly that some of the animals and creatures of the forest stopped their activities and went to help. Kristin Addington Culpepper develops a tale where children will learn to express their feelings and seek the good of others.

Kristin Addington Culpepper shares a poem in story form, and reading it will be entertaining and easy for children to follow. I also liked the illustrations because the landscapes convey the emotions of The Lonely Toadstool. The environment that is described invites you to feel love for nature because even natural phenomena like rain do their part to assist. I recommend this tale because children are at a stage when they are learning to live together in a community with others, and you see that illustrated in this book. I liked the lesson about togetherness, as all the characters tried to help the toadstool. This story teaches us that we should all act to help others and it is a beautiful tale of solidarity and empathy.

John J. Hogan

This book is excellent. It is well written story line in the illustrations are creative. Together, they are better than either of them alone and they make a wonderful final product

Children today live in a time of social media and overcommitment of and by children and parents of most ages, as well as substantial peer pressures.

The story is focused, pleasantly simple and direct. It includes imaginary gnomes and make-believe creatures with elements of nature such as the wind, the sun, friendly mice, squirrels rabbits and more.

The characters deal with both being alone and with helping others who need a smile and perhaps a helping hand.

One can find solid messages for young minds here. As a father and grandfather, I recommend this book