What a fun way to learn numbers and counting skills for preschoolers! This colorful, multicultural picture book offers an interactive tool for parents and teachers to make learning and counting numbers fun.
The author selects subjects that are appealing to young children, like dinosaurs, robots, aliens, and finger puppets. Illustrations are large and easy for little fingers to negotiate. Children are encouraged to repeat these activities until counting and adding skills are mastered.
Teachers and parents should add this one to their learning library.
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Roland Looks for God: A Christian Picture Book for Ages 3-8
Written by Phyllis Wheeler
Illustrated by Elizabeth van der Bijl
This is a charming Christian picture book. Roland is a curious duckling who pauses to admire the simple beauty of God’s creation. However, a hungry crane and fox may be planning to eat him!
Roland is able to divert their attention from their plans by showing them the beauty of the world around them. The illustrations are charming and calming.
I would suggest this book for Christian parents or teachers of children ages three through eight. As a bedtime story or read aloud, this book encourages a young child to appreciate God’s gifts in the beauty they see in the world around them.
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It’s hard to know what to say to children about the pain and suffering of others. It can be especially challenging for families when kids see images and videos of violence that impact their own community. Here are some ways you can help children process and cope with news about violence, crime, and war.
Seek connection and support with your community. Knowing they’re not alone and spending time with people who share similar experiences can help kids feel valued and accepted.
Explain the news to them in an age-appropriate way.Use this guide to help them understand what’s happening. Give them space to share their feelings and reactions.
Tell them they’re safe, and offer hope. Whether the violence is taking place near home or far away, it can be scary for kids. Reassure them that they’re not in immediate danger. Build on their resilience by balancing the scary news with stories of hope. You can also talk about meaningful and positive ways that your family can get involved to support a cause.
Encourage them to take breaks from screens. Like adults, older kids and teens may want frequent updates on breaking news. But constant exposure to negative news can take a toll on us. So while it’s important to stay informed, setting limits on how often kids see violent media coverage is best for their well-being.
Focus on what connects us all. When individuals and communities are victims of tragic events, hate speech can be an extra burden to bear. Kids may encounter cruel language and false information, on- and offline. They may see or hear things meant to harm groups of people based on their religion, ethnicity, sexual identity, gender, or race. Standing up against hate speech, questioning sensationalized news, and celebrating your family’s culture and the beauty of diversity are all ways to combat messages that are meant to divide us.
Create a self-care routine. Routines can be comforting and let kids feel more in control. Help them make time for relaxing activities during times of uncertainty. That can include reading, taking walks, journaling, listening to music, or anything else that grounds them.
This book is based on the theme of the 12 Days of Christmas. It is written as a poem or can be sung as a song. The characters are based on various types of sea creatures, especially different species of sharks.
The illustrations are hand-drawn in vibrant colors. While the length is less than twenty pages, reading or singing it can become a new holiday tradition. For me, the most interesting part of the book is the section at the end, which presents useful information about each of the different sharks.
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This fictional story is set in a rural Australian town in the 1930s. Willow Vale is a small town that lies at the end of a railroad line. This town has suffered a decline in population with little opportunity for upward mobility. Most of the inhabitants work on the railroad, in the mines or farming. The tiny schoolhouse has only four teachers and each classroom accommodates two grades.
Baddar and his sister, Delari are the offspring of the last Afghan cameleer and his wife, Rose, who is an aboriginal raised by missionaries. Baddar feels confused and trapped by his mixed heritage and feels he doesn’t fully belong to either group. He spends a lot of time with his friend Billy, with whom he has several adventures. Baddar’s family tries to help him by organizing a camel trip with his Afghan grandfather, but an accident mars the trip. When a brushfire threatens to destroy Willow, the aboriginals step up to team with Billy, Baddar and the citizens of the town to make a last-ditch effort to save their community.
There are a host of issues addressed by this fictional tale, coming of age, family and community struggles and relationships, cultural divides, poverty, and economics. The children set an example for the adults. Minor editing issues need to be addressed, and the plot tends to ramble on here and there, but the book gives a glimpse into a forgotten part of Australian history.
Middle-grade readers will enjoy the adventures and believable characters. Recommended for readers ages ten and older.
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Magical Stories: A Collection of Short Stories for Children Aged 3-103
Written by Píaras Ó Cíonnaoíth
A collection of ten short stories that stimulate the imagination. While I would not classify this book as a picture book, each story starts with an illustration of the main character.
The characters include many favorite types such as dragons, elves, fairies, tigers, and mermaids. It is equally appealing to male or female readers. The average length of the tales is approximately five pages, making it ideal as a bedtime story or classroom read-aloud. Each includes a moral lesson for young minds to ponder and appreciate.
Adults may enjoy reading them along with their children.
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Greta is ready to earn her Wilderness Badge. She is excited to go on an overnight camping experience with the Girl Scouts. One thing troubles her, she is unsure whether she can leave behind her stuffed sleeping pal. Her puppy, Peek also suffers from separation anxiety and decides to do something about it.
Alone at night, Greta cries but is met with a surprise guest who has also been experiencing a new adventure. A surprise visitor wrecks a birthday party for one of the campers. The plot comes with an unexpected ending.
This nicely illustrated multicultural picture book teaches children not to be afraid to try new things and how to cope with separation anxiety. A nice choice for children headed to camp or for any preschool or primary grade reader who struggles with fear of the unknown.
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Max’s Big Adventure: Traveling with Food Allergies
Written by Sally Huss and Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino
HUSS AND HAMILTON-GUARINO have addressed an important subject that affects the everyday lives of millions of children. Kudos to both authors for providing a teaching tool to entertain and educate kids about allergies and actionable resource links to guide their parents.
I love the way Max takes charge of his health and speaks intelligently and confidently to both adults and children about his problem. The list of resources is valuable to parents, grandparents, and teachers who need to get the most update information on food allergies.
Recommended highly to the growing number of families who face this problem.
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This post is sponsored by Creator JJ. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view
GIVEAWAY
Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win one of three copies of Tiki Time: It’s My Turn!Plus, one lucky grand prize winner will receive a signed copy of the book along with a $200 Amazon gift card to fuel even more adventures.
Publisher’s Book Summary: Tiki is an honest, fun, and adventurous boy full of integrity. Lately, his behavior has been too rambunctious and he needs guidance. He meets a magical spirit who gives him the guidance he is looking for and much more. The spirit grants him magical powers and sends him on a quest to save the village of TikiTown from the evil King Lauia. Come join Tiki and his friends as they go on a magical time-traveling journey to save TikiTown. Tiki and his friends must find King Lauia, take back the sacred magical Toku Mask, and return the mask to Tiki Town to unfreeze the town. If Tiki doesn’t succeed, TikiTown will remain frozen forever…
Creator JJ and Fates are the creative duo bringing you this fun and magical adventure.
Fates has been making cartoons for over 30 years, bringing stories to life through drawing and imagining. Fates wants the world to draw and dream just a little more every day.
Creator JJ is the creative writer who dreamed up the storylines and characters in their stories. By using their imagination, he believes that everyone can create characters, worlds and stories of your own.
Together, the goal is to use their creative talents to create fun stories and ignite the hearts and minds of young children for both educational and self-development purposes.
The Mosquito Burrito: A Hilarious, Spanish Sprinkled, Rhyming Children’s Book
Written by Didi Dragon
Illustrated byLenaska Ti
What a fun bilingual read! Dragon cleverly rhymes Spanish and English short phrases that roll off the tongue.
The plot centers around a mosquito who finds himself stuck inside a burrito. After taking a bite, he simply cannot resist eating his way through it. I love the humorous play on words. This book has enthralling illustrations that enhance the plot.
I highly recommend the book as a read aloud for primary grade English and Spanish speakers to promote reading and language skills.
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December 3, 2025
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Barbara Ann Mojica's BLOG 
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