Story Monster & Friends Children’s Book Bonanza
/ Guest UserCelebrating Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week: February 1-5, 2021
Inspire a Lifelong Love of Reading!
From children’s picture books like Bugging a Bug by JC Sykes to YA novel and Royal Dragonfly Book Award Grand Prize winner, Merged, by Jim and Stephanie Kroepfl, we have a book for all types of young readers!
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Click on the book title or cover image below to buy the book.
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Send us an email at abteam@storymonsters.com to your request review copies!
Great Reads for Growing Minds
by Elizabeth Cummings; illustrated by Melissa Salvarani
“A cleverly written and superbly illustrated picture book. I loved how cleverly it was presented and how sensibly it has been constructed.”
A colourful STEM picture book about hands and how they help in our daily lives. It explains how vital hand hygiene is and how to reduce the risk of spreading germs. This highly topical book is designed to illuminate knowledge without generating fear or anxiety within the current social context.
ISBN: 978-0-9943392-6-3
Target Ages: 6 to 10 years
by Jeff Alt; illustrated by Hannah Tuohy
“A book that drums up awe and fascination, fuels dreams of a Grand Canyon hike one day, and inspires young audiences to keep reading." —Svea Conrad, Arizona Daily Sun
Time-traveling siblings Tommy “Bubba Jones” and Jenny “Hug-a-Bug” uncover amazing facts about the Grand Canyon while on a mission to solve a park mystery.
Awards: Mom’s Choice Gold Award Recipient
ISBN: 978-0-8253-0927-4
Target Ages: 9 to 12 years
by JC Sykes; illustrated by Navi Robins
“Bright illustrations and easy to comprehend for younger scholars! It will definitely pique their interest in reading and science!“
Ever imagined what bugs are thinking? This cute story follows a little girl and her fascination to get to know bugs. A book where kids can be explorers, use their imagination, and bugs are fun again!
Awards: Colorado Independent Publishers Award (CIPA EVVY Award)
ISBN: 979-8632232876
Target Ages: Grades Pre-K to 2nd
by Ivy Cayden
"A light, fun, fantastically gripping story of young love, music and the ups and terrible downs of high school.” —Five stars, A 'Wishing Shelf' Book Review
A sweet, award-winning YA Music Fiction story about friendship, love, and everything in between. With an elaborate, 67-song playlist to embed you in every magnetic moment and missed connection, you’ll experience the rush of Everything All At Once, the first book in the CHORDUROYS AND TOO MANY BOYS™ series.
Awards: Gold Award Recipient, Mom's Choice Awards®; Readers' Favorite 5-star seal; First Place, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, Young Adult Fiction; First Place, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, Performing Arts; First Place, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, New Author: Fiction; 2020 International Book Awards Finalist, Best New Fiction; 2020 American Fiction Awards Finalist, Coming of Age; 2020 New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention, Young Adult; 2020 Paris Book Festival, Honorable Mention, Young Adult; 2019 Best Book Awards, Finalist, Fiction: Young Adult
ISBN: 978-1-949293-00-5
Target Ages: Young Adult
by Charity Yoder
“My 4-year-old daughter absolutely loves ‘The Elephant’s Shoes!’ It is one of the few books she will sit through from beginning to end. It’s become her bedtime story of choice. 😊”
The Elephant's Shoes is a children's book about love, loss, and healing. We all make decisions in our lives—some that make us happy, and some that we regret. Author Charity Yoder believes that everyone, even young children, can better learn how to cope with the sometimes-painful outcome of their choices. This is a beautiful story about the power of connection and how to move on with an open and compassionate heart.
Awards: Readers’ Favorite 5-Star seal; Honorable Mention, 5 and under, Picture Books 5 & Younger, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards
ISBN: 978-1-5255-3408-9
Target Ages: 7 years and under
by Jennifer Phillips; illustrated by Roberta Morris
“The story stays with you long after the last page is read. Highly recommended.”
Abolitionist editor Elijah Lovejoy demanded an end to slavery—dangerous beliefs that turned deadly as mobs destroyed his presses and then took his life. His death helped mobilize the anti-slavery movement and free speech protections. An unsung hero whose story is as relevant today as when Lovejoy lived.
Awards: Graphic Design USA 2020 American Design Award; First Place, YA Non-Fiction, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Award
ISBN: 978-1-7342336-3-6
Target Ages: 10 years and up
by Emily Lane Waszak and Erik Bean; illustrated by Gail Gorske
"Beautifully illustrated picture book about troubling thoughts, feelings, moods, and urges will help teachers start conversations about supporting friends through mental and emotional challenges." —Booklife, Publisher's Weekly, August 17, 2020
Ethan’s Healthy Mind Express was created to take readers on a rhyming journey to promote better mental health and embrace atypical (neurodiverse) socialization and inclusion needs. It also provides tips to avoid areas of the Internet leading to isolation or danger, and contains 19 handcrafted brilliant paper illustrations. Selected for presentation at the 2021 Literacy & Language Summer Institute: National Council of Teachers of English.
Awards: Second Place, Best Illustrations, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; Second Place, Best Educational Book, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; Honorable Mention, Picture Books 6 & Older, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; Honorable Mention, Best Illustrations, 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards; Honorable Mention, Picture Books 6 & Older, 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards; Honorable Mention, School Issues, 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards; Finalist, Children's Picture Book: Softcover Fiction, 2020 International Book Awards
ISBN: 978-0-692-03655-6
Target Ages: 5 to 10 years
by Jennifer Kurani; illustrated by Valentina Jaskina
“A full-color picture book that teaches kids that everyone is special.”
Squirrel can leap from branch to branch real quickly, Bee can fly and make honey, and Rabbit can hop really high. Then there’s Firefly, who can both fly and light up the sky. But Turtle, who cannot do any of these things, feels ordinary. What will it take to make Turtle realize that he too is special?
Awards: First Place, Picture Books 5 & Younger, 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards; Gold Winner, Moonbeam Awards
ISBN: 978-1-5107-4571-1
Target Ages: 3 to 6 years
by Kimberley Paterson
“Delightful and colorful book about a ferret named Frankie. I love the bright colorful illustrations and the sweet rhyming verse.“
People have cats or dogs and sometimes there are more exotic pets like hedgehogs, but have you ever had a pet ferret? Frankie was our beloved ferret for nine years and provided us with endless amusement with his funny little antics. Would you like to meet him? Then let’s go!
Awards: Winner, Canada Book Awards; Gold Award, Literary Titan Book Awards; Winner, Children's Picture Book: Softcover Fiction, The 2020 Best Book Awards; Honorable Mention, Picture Books 5 & Younger, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards
ISBN: 978-1-5255-4731-7
Target Ages: Birth to 6 years
by Christy Olson; illustrated by Melissa Marroquin
“It is obvious that the author and artist know and love kids, and I am sure the kids will love Growing Young Spirits.” —Eleanor, Amazon.com
GREAT BIG QUESTIONS abound in Growing Young Spirits. Kids will enjoy illustrations and poems, and then create “heart art" to answer questions like, "Why is community important," and "Who is your neighbor". Sharing moves these questions into lifelong learning.
Awards: First Place, Poetry, Purple Dragonfly Book Awards; First Place, Spiritual/Religious, Purple Dragonfly Book Awards
ISBN: 978-1-59298-783-2
Target Ages: 3 to 8 years
by Karen Nicksich; illustrated by Steph Bucci
“The cleverly plotted story of Gus, a dog who just wants to find his forever home. Young children will find this utterly compelling.”
Gus Finds His Way Home is the true story of Gus, a golden retriever, and his journey to his new fur-ever home. This book talks about how resilient Gus is after he is rescued by Companion Golden Retriever Rescue and learns about a family in Washington wishing to adopt him.
Awards: Bronze Medal, Animals/Pets - Fiction, 2020 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards; Best Books in the category of Animals and Pets, 2020 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award; Honorable Mention, Animals/Pets, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; Finalist, Animals/Pets, 2021 The Wishing Shelf Book Awards (winners announced in March 2021)
ISBN: 978-0-578-72532-1
Target Ages: 8 to 12 years
by Jarm Del Boccio
“A captivating story…young hearts will find hope to face their perplexing and changeable world.” —Tina Cho, author of Rice From Heaven
Can an Israelite captive, wrenched from all she loves, serve the man who destroyed her village? Jarm’s debut middle-grade historical fiction novel, The Heart Changer, reveals the angst of a young refugee who finds hope amidst heartache in a foreign land.
Awards: Silver Medal, Juvenile/Young Adult, 2020 Illuminations Book Award; Honorable Mention, Spiritual/Religious, 2020 Purple Dragonfly Award; Bronze Medal, Young Adult Fiction (e-book)m 2020 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards; Third Place, Youth Fiction, 2020 Angel Book Awards
ISBN: 978-1-62020-868-7
Target Ages: 8 to 12 years
by Eileen Hobbs; illustrated by Unknown Palmetto Publishing
“5.0 out of 5 stars…This book was easy to read and the story is captivating…” —Mrs. Letaief, Amazon.com
In book 3 of The Heath Cousins series, Addie B. and her cousins travel back to the magical land of the Garden of Choice through the crystal canyon. While there, they must rescue their friends Mai Li and Jadira, the smelly buffalo creature, from the crystal spewing dragon, Arach.
ISBN: 978-1-64111-501-8
Target Ages: 7 to 11 years
by Felicia Farber
“This book should get pushed to the top of everyone’s list….A great read for many reasons.” —SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW, 5 Stars
YA romance that shines a spotlight on the social and legal dangers teens face every time they use cell phones and electronic devices. This cautionary tale weaves the risky behaviors of teen sexting and cyberbullying into the story of a high school outcast who dares to challenge the class mean girl
Awards: Winner, Best Books in the category of Young Adult, 2020 Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards; First Place, Young Adult Fiction, Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; Second Place, Best Cover Design, Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; Finalist, CIPA EVVY 2020 Book Award; Honorable Mention, Young Adult, San Francisco Book Festival; B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree
ISBN: 978-0-9964708-4-1
Target Ages: 11 to 18 years
by Jim Kroepfl and Stephanie Kroepfl
“An enjoyable read that nicely layers science and mystery with teen angst and romance.” —Recommended Review, Kirkus Reviews
In an effort to accelerate human progress, seven gifted teens will become Nobels, hosts for the implantation of the minds of dying geniuses. But as the line between what’s possible and what’s right draws ever blurrier, the teens discover that everything has a cost and nobody can be trusted.
Awards: Grand Prize Winner, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; First Place, Science Fiction/Fantasy, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; First Place; Young Adult Fiction, 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; Best Book, Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards; Young Adult Best First Book, Indie Reader Discovery Awards; Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Children’s/Middle Grade/Young Adult, Kopps-Fetherling International Book Awards; First Place, Best Young Adult, 2020 Pacific Book Awards; Winner, Children’s/Juvenile, The Colorado Authors League Writing Awards; 2020 Distinguished Favorites, Young Adult Fiction, NYC Big Book Awards; Finalist, 2020 CIPA Evvy Awards
ISBN: 978-1-948671-34-7
Target Ages: 12 to 18 years
Written and illustrated by Dave Alden Hutchison
"It's unlike any other book—truly something special.”
When a bully named Luke makes it hard for Milton to make new friends, he decides to take harpsichord lessons from the lady across the street. She gives Milt magical powers, so Milt conjures quilt monsters to attack his enemy, but soon learns not to out bully the bullies.
Awards: Honorable Mention, Poetry, Purple Dragonfly Book Awards
ISBN: 978-0-578-59860-4
Target Ages: 5 to 8 years
by David Casentini; illustrated by Lulu Publishing
On her 11th birthday, Molly gets a new pony! The frail and insecure pony, Wallace, soon sets his sights on a goal and works hard to achieve it. With support and encouragement from Molly, Wallace learns that with love, hard work, and believing in himself, he can reach farther and dream bigger than he thought possible!
Awards: Honorable Mention, 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Award
ISBN: 978-1-6847-1427-8 (soft-cover); 978-6847-1428-5 (hard cover)
Target Ages: 5 to 8 years
by Jennifer Phillips; illustrated by Roberta Morris
“This would be a great supplemental read for students studying WWII or various ideologies…”
A great strong-girl story with history woven in! The young adult biography of Nina Kosterina, a Russian college-student-turned-guerilla soldier who perished fighting Germany’s WWII invasion. Her teen diary, published years after her death, became an international bestseller and opened a window into the tumultuous birth of Russian Communism.
ISBN: 978-1-7342336-7-4
Target Ages: 13 years and up
by Rick Quinn; illustrated by Sefira Lightstone
“…Celebrating racial and gender equality, ‘Jazzy and Kettle’ is a children's picture book for ages 4-8 and unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library collections.” —Midwest Book Reviews
Jazzy and Kettle was written in a style to help pre- and early readers understand letters and words. It is a book for kids, about kids. Two new friends head off into the woods to discover a new world. They learn important lessons about nature, courage, and each other. They face their own fear, and triumph!
ISBN: 978-1-4808-6937-0 (soft-cover), 978-1-4808-6936-3 (hardcover), 978-1-4808-69356-6 (e-book)
Target Ages: Pre-readers to 8 years
by Barbara Gervais Ciancimino; illustrated by Steve McGinnis
“No better way to authenticate the topic of harassment than to write about it in a children's book. Exciting illustrations.”
Odonata The Flying Jewel of Maiden Grass Pond is a timely story about a young dragonfly who is bullied because he is different. Odonata's story teaches how kindness is a much better alternative to bullying, as it encourages discussion between adults and children about the importance of understanding and accepting each other's differences.
Awards: Mom's Choice Gold Medal Award Winner; Story Monsters Approved, Picture Books (Ages 3-8) Fiction; Story Monsters Approved, School Life; Honorable Mention, Children’s Picture Books 6 & Older, Purple Dragonfly Book Awards; Honorable Mention, School Issues, Purple Dragonfly Book Awards; Honorable Mention, Children’s Picture Books 6 & Older, Royal Dragonfly Book Awards
ISBN: 978-1-68401-349-4
Target Ages: 4 to 9 years
by Jenni Garrick; illustrated by Joshua Allen
“I've just purchased this book as a gift for my best friend and her new baby. It's such a gorgeous book that's also educational and beautifully written.”
Laurence and Hamilton enjoy eating strawberries on their farm, and when the strawberries start disappearing because of the change of season, they decide to take an adventure of a lifetime to exotic places around the world and meet some great friends along the way.
ISBN: 978-1-4634-3038-2
Target Ages: 2 to 7 years
by Susan Miura
“Action, humor, suspense, and a deaf character who sees the world in a way many hearing readers do not.” —Readers’ Favorite
17-year-old Haylie is brilliant, deaf, and determined to escape her kidnappers. As Haylie fears she’s about to enter the dark abyss of human trafficking, Nathan discovers he’s the prime suspect in a crime he didn’t commit. Even worse, anything could be happening to Haylie as the search continues. Anything.
Awards: Readers’ Favorite 5-Star seal
ISBN: 978-1-7341507-6-6
Target Ages: 13 years to adult
by Karen Cioffi; illustrated by Willow Raven
“‘Walking Through Walls,’ based on a Chinese folktale, is well-written and fun to read, and illustrates many essential life lessons.”
12-year-old Wang longs to be rich and powerful. Learning of the mystical Eternals, he believes becoming one will help him achieve his goals. Soon, though, he realizes that learning magic takes hard work, and a pure heart. Set in 16th century China, this book is perfect for reluctant readers.
Awards: Literary Classics Book Silver Award
ISBN: 978-0-9826594-7-2
Target Ages: 8 to 11 years
by Shana Hollowell; illustrated by Jennifer Finch
"A beautiful story…magically enchanting." -Midwest Book Review “Truly perfect.” -JDL Reads “Delightful…definitely recommended.” -Readers’ Favorite
When the Squirrel Sings is a beautiful, heartwarming story about a squirrel observing outdoor play and celebrating the wonder of a child. A highly rated and recommended picture book.
Awards: Second Place, Picture Books 5 & Younger, 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards; Semi-Finalist, 2020 Chanticleer International Little Peeps Book Awards; 2019 Readers' Favorite 5-Star seal
ISBN: 978-0-9978785-3-0
Target Ages: Birth to 5 years
by Donna Sager Cowan; illustrated by Diane J. Reid Samby Books
“...the courage to do what is right despite how hard.... everyone has a special gift... for great good.“
Simon Cheddar is having the worst day ever! Instead of celebrating his first day at Superhero School, he was on the breakfast menu …twice! This was supposed to be the beginning of his destiny, except the hawk considered him an easy meal, but a quick snip and trim changed that. Then, a cat waited to pounce! With a quick plan and one matchstick, Simon sped toward what could be certain death to stop it first. Will Simon arrive in time for Superhero School?
Awards: Mom's Choice Gold Seal; Story Monsters Approved; Certified Great Reads; top ten finalist, Author Elite Awards 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64085-382-9
Target Ages: 7 to 12 years
by Donna Sager Cowan; illustrated by Diane J. Reid Samby Books
“...the courage to do what is right despite how hard.... everyone has a special gift... for great good.“
The second book in the Superhero School series Begins with Catt and Simon landing in a jungle after a skydiving mishap and finding diabolical monkeys capturing animals. Barely escaping the monkeys, Catt and Simon mail themselves home to Sweet Meadows to plan a rescue mission—only to deliver their new trapped friends straight into monkey headquarters.
Awards: Mom's Choice Gold Seal; Story Monsters Approved; Certified Great Reads; top ten finalist, Author Elite Awards 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64085-932-6
Target Ages: 7 to 12 years
by Donna Sager Cowan; illustrated by Diane J. Reid Samby Books
“...the courage to do what is right despite how hard.... everyone has a special gift... for great good.“
The third installment of the Superhero School series, the squad returns for their newest adventure: Mrs Gee is missing! Led by Patty Porter, a tech savvy pig, the team is willing to risk everything to find her....even if it means traveling to another dimension!
Awards: Mom's Choice Gold Seal; Story Monsters Approved; Certified Great Reads; top ten finalist, Author Elite Awards 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64746-643-5
Target Ages: 7 to 12 years
