Hendrix and Rocket: Being Brave: A heartwarming story for ages 3-8 of one little Weimaraner’s journey to find their courage
Written by Kristen Haynes
Illustrated by Anna Thompson
A cute picture book that helps children understand how to control their anger by using a dog named Rocket.
When Rocket learns his morning routine of visiting the beach will not happen because mom had something else to do, he immediately gets angry. This results in the destruction of his family’s property even though his older dog brother warns him against such behavior.
What lessons does he learn to control his anger in the future?
The author cleverly presents the lesson using adorable pups.
Recommended for ages three and older.
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Guinness the Good Girl Goes to School(G3 BOOK SERIES)
Written by Matthew Gillmann
Illustrated by Penny Weber
When Dottie brings her rambunctios dalmation, Guinness to school, all chaos breaks loose. It seems that Guinness cannot contain her friendliness, curiosity, or eagerness to participate.
Readers learn and follow her adventures in the multicultural classroom and community. Nice illustrations and story. One suggestion, the print size might be a bit larger for younger readers.
Reccommended for ages three through eight.
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A Little Labradoodle Christmas: A Rhyming Picture Book About the Power of Family, Love, and Kindness (The Little Labradoodle 4)
Written by April M. Cox and Kairi Fullerton
Illustrated by Remesh Ram
A cute, Christmas, rhyming picture book for preschoolers and primary grade children with an important message.
Kairi and her pet labradoodles encounter Casper, a grumpy cat on their walk. They decide to spread the spirit of Christmas. They invite the cat to their home to participate in traditions like baking cookies and trimming the tree, but nothing seems to work. Eventually, they find the real reason for the cat’s disdain about Christmas. Will they be able to spread love, empathy and family traditions that will change the tide?
A nice read aloud for the holidays.
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A wonderful early chapter book that contains beautiful colorful and expressive illustrations. This book centers about a baking competition.
Cassie, a pup, and Cordelia, a cat both work as apprentices at Bindi’s Bakery. Bindi provides them both with aprons and chef’s hats. As they begin baking, Cassie and Cordelia allow their competitive spirit to create a disaster in the kitchen.
The adorable cat and pup need to learn that teamwork and friendship would be better choices in achieving their goals. Elementary school readers will enjoy reading the lovely, multicultural book with its crisp, colorful language and amusing illustrations.
First book in a series for beginning and middle school students. Evie’s mom has a new job, and Evie is sent away from home for the summer. It doesn’t take long for Evie and her newfound friends to get into trouble. As punishment, her mother enrolls Evie as a volunteer in a local animal shelter where she meets an abused dog.
Evie learns the value of hard work and giving back to the community. As a backstory, young readers are introduced to the concept of PTSD and the difficulties military families must face. These are explained in an age-appropriate way.
I would recommend the book to readers in the seven to twelve age range. It would make an excellent choice as a classroom discussion read aloud book.
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The author tackles several difficult issues that middle-grade students might find insurmountable.
Georgia is a sixth grade student who desperately wants a dog. She cannot convince her parents to agree, and they argue incessantly.
One day, Georgia succeeds in convincing her mother to take her to the humane society “just to look.” Enter Chester, an adorable toothless mixed breed who turns out to be “pyschic.” Georgia’s world is rocked when her dad finds the dog at home and walks out on the family. Is it Georgia’s fault?
Georgia faces the usual middle graders difficulty handling jealousy and peer relationships. Up to this time, she has relied on her Magic 8 ball to give her the answers, but now her world has been turned upside down. That is, until she discovers her dog might be able to help.
The characters are believable and genuine. They are placed in situations that seem impossible to solve, but this author navigates them and explains them in a way relatable to its target eight to twelve age audience.
I would highly recommend it to parents, teachers, and counselors who work with this age group as a tool to discuss divorce, illness, and mental health issues.
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Luna is Missing: A Children’s book about the friendships & adventures of a girl, her dog and her cat
Written and illustrated by Tanya Preminger
I enjoyed reading this simple picture book about a little girl who lives with her dog and cat pets named Max and Luna.
As children read the pages, they learn about the responsibilities in taking care of pets. The pet owner teaches her pets manners, responsibility, safety, and having empathy for the needs of each other.
The simple illustrations fill in the gaps and help young children understand the plot better. When Luna goes missing, they can look for clues in the pictures to help find her.
Recommended for primary grade readers, especially animal lovers and would be pet owners.
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Dogs Counting Activity Book: Count to 20 with this Fun Activity Book about Dogs
Written by Frances MacKay
I have previously reviewed this author’s count to ten with dogs book and found it useful. This book can be viewed as a logical extension of that book.
Here, the child not only learns to count to twenty but is provided lots of other learning opportunities that involve comparing and contrasting, more advanced language concepts, dot to dots, mazes, identifying differences, coloring, and simple math equations. The book would be a good supplement to kindergarten learning concepts as a means to prepare or supplement classroom curriculum.
Recommended for ages three through seven.
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Dogs A Counting and Comparing Book: A Funny Counting to 10 Book about Dogs
Written by Frances MacKay
One of the best toddler and preschool teaching tools that I have come across lately. The author uses vibrant illustrations and interesting scenarios with dogs to teach children how to count up to ten and then count backwards.
She also introduces positional and size concepts as well as simple emotions like happy and sad. Interactive activities included are access to a ten-page coloring book and freebies that can be downloaded.
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Sometimes we don’t know what to do with them or how to change our thoughts that cause these feelings. The first day of school can be scary, but “Furrapist” Jackson Johnson and cute pup Ralphy of Ralphy’s Rules for the Good Life are committed to helping a busload of kids understand and manage their big feelings. During the ride to school, Furrapist Jackson Johnson teaches the children that they can choose their emotions and decide how to respond to them. Ralphy and Jackson make the complicated subject of emotional intelligence accessible for kids to understand and, more importantly, implement in their everyday lives.
So hop on the bus with us, and let’s learn about how taking charge of our feelings can change our day!
Talar Herculian Coursey is a lawyer by day and a children’s book author, Life Coach, and philanthropist by night (more like mornings). She has been a General Counsel since 2011 and recently joined ComplyAuto, a privacy/cybersecurity SAAS company. Before going in-house, she was a file clerk, associate, and partner at the national labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips LLP. Talar is a co-author of both #Networked: How 20 Women Lawyers Overcame the Confines of COVID-19 Social Distancing to Create Connections, CultivateCommunity, & Build Businesses in the Midst of a Global Pandemic and Women In Law: Discovering the True Meaning of Success. Her first children’s book,Ralphy’s Rules for Living the Good Life, was published in 2021.
Talar has served as the President of the Salt Lake City Chapter of the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (“SOAR”) since 2015. SOAR, founded in 2005, supports orphanages in Syria, Lebanon and Armenia. She runs the Salt Lake City Half Marathon every year to raise money for SOAR in memory of her father. Net proceeds from her children’s books also go to SOAR. In addition to being a mother, wife, lawyer, life coach, and philanthropist, she is also a runner, yogi, and Jesus, Eckhart Tolle, Peloton, and Brandon Flowers groupie.
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS EXPLAINED FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
Ralphy’s Rules for Feelings
Written by Talar and Riley Herculian Coursey
Illustrated by Meri Andreasyan
This is the second picture book in a series that defines and explains how to deal with emotions for elementary school age children.
Ralphy, a dog, drives the school bus and his friend Jackson Johnson, the Furrapist, sits next to him on the first day of school. As each child passenger enters the bus, Jackson asks how they are feeling. The children express feelings like excitement, sadness, nervousness, and tiredness. Jackson encourages each child to put this feeling on the front seat and decide later whether to leave it or take it with them when getting off the bus at school, teaching children that a feeling can be changed by thinking differently about it. The book portrays a wide range of feelings exhibited by multicultural children, which allows any reader to identify with the characters. At the end of the story, readers are encouraged to discuss their own feelings.
While the book is targeted for readers ages four through ten, it is relevant for a reader of any age. I would recommend it to parents and teachers for a read aloud and discussion.
GIVEAWAY
Enter the giveaway for the chance to win a classroom set that includes 25 copies of Ralphy’s Rules for Feelings!
June 4, 2025
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