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In this small sleepy town, things rarely change. So when a hat shop mysteriously appears in the main square, the townspeople are more than a little surprised. It sits in the middle of town with no indication of where it may have come from or why it chose their town. But the mystery only deepens when people enter the shop. The townspeople come to find that those who wear the hats from this shop begin to make incredible discoveries. This story is a warm and wonderful tale of self-acceptance and learning to love yourself no matter what.

Perfect for: Kids with oversized imaginations.

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Way up in the very highest part of the sky lives an extraordinary little girl named Luna. Although she lives far away from our world, she has a great love for humans’ words. She collects the words she finds beautiful as well as the ones she finds silly. One day, Luna finds that her treasured words are disappearing! When she goes down to the human world to find the cause, she discovers that humans are forgetting words they have deemed unimportant. To save her forgotten words, she sets out to convince humanity that all words are worth knowing.

Perfect for: Bookworms-to-be.

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Clucky the Hen may be a bit clumsy and forgetful, but she has the biggest heart. She’s always been the kind of chicken with a million things going on in her head and no way to keep them all straight. Her scatterbrained-ness only increases when she has three baby chicks to take care of! In comparison to the other hens, Clucky gives her chicks a lot of freedom to roam around the farm. But this causes the other hens to gossip about Clucky, saying that she isn’t a good mother! Despite all the rumors, Clucky loves her chicks more than anything and always does her best to take care of them. In this story, her chicks learn to ignore the gossip and focus on the love they feel from their mother.

Perfect for: Helping kids learn to ignore rumors and focus on the love we feel from others.

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In a magical forest, an old mailman makes deliveries on his bicycle. Every day he rides around delivering letters to the animals of the forest that are seemingly magic. The letters exchange invitations, resolve arguments, and inspire friendships. With the magic of the letters in effect, a sense of harmony settles in with so many new friendships and so few lasting arguments. But the only one with no mail is the mailman, because he is the one that writes the magical letters each night! When the other animals realize this, they band together to give him the most special letter of all.

Perfect for: Instilling gratitude.

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One day, on Goran’s way to school, he realizes that all the trees in the forest around him have gone. Where the trees once stood, now there are just holes where they ripped themselves out of the ground. In shock, he rushes off to check on the tree in his own garden. He sees the tree as his friend, having spent spring swinging from its branches and summer hiding from the heat in its shade. Goran comes to understand the consequences of the trees leaving, not just for himself, but for his community, the animals of the forest, and the environment as a whole.

Perfect for: A child-friendly introduction to environmentalism and preservation.

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A little girl sleeps in her little bed every night. One night, she learns that her little bed loves her as much as she loves it. The bed is especially happy when the little girl sleeps in it at night. This silly story is a magic-filled read with the goal of having children see their own little beds as a peaceful place to rest each night. This simple, heartfelt story is designed as the perfect bedtime story for young children. It is especially suitable for those who don’t like to sleep in their beds alone and need a bit of convincing to do so.

Perfect for: Helping kids love their bed and bedtime.

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One day in the forest, a hedgehog wakes up to find his prickles tangled in a ball of wool. He has no idea where it came from or what to do with it, so he asks his spider friend for help. The spider is an expert knitter, and teaches the hedgehog how to knit the perfect sweater. Soon enough, all the animals of the forest learn of the hedgehog’s knitting and come to visit him. He then begins to knit each of his visitors a gift as a token of his friendship. But when the hedgehog finally stops knitting, he realizes something impossible. The ball of wool is magic!

Perfect for: Understanding and building friendship.

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In an old abandoned mill lives a little dog named Chocolate. Everyday, he goes off in search of food and barks with joy as he walks. As always, he stops by his neighbor Sarah’s house, where he hides behind the fence and watches her do her homework. He’s always had the feeling that he and Sarah are meant to be together as the best of friends. As he hides by the fence, Chocolate imagines a life where he is part of Sarah’s family. His daydream helps him to overcome his sadness and loneliness so that he can begin to trust in a better future.

Perfect for: A heartfelt tribute to the love we feel for our pets.

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In Ariel Andres Almada’s newest installment of the Family Love series, grandparents get the spotlight. This love letter to grandparents aims to capture all the little moments that make the relationships so special. We cook in the kitchen with grandma, run around the park with grandpa, and listen to their wildest stories. We may not have the most time with them, but their love and guidance lasts a lifetime. In this story, Almada explores the unconditional love and gratitude we feel toward our grandparents.

Perfect for: Appreciating bonds with grandparents.

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Daniela’s greatest dream is to become a pirate the the Black Croc, a legendary pirate ship. After searching high and low across all seven seas, she finally finds the ship! But when she tells the men aboard that she wants to join the crew, their response is disappointingly misogynistic. To prove herself, Captain Choppylobe forces her to undergo difficult challenges to prove her worth. Will she be able to beat the challenges to prove the captain wrong? Will they ever accept her as a member of their crew? Most importantly, will Daniela be able to prove that being a pirate is for both boys and girls?

Perfect for: Inspiring kids to dream big and push for equality.

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Annie cooks all day with her grandmother. She may not be able to see, but her other senses guide her and come to life as she prepares the meals. Annie also has another sense. She is able to sense others’ emotions and bring them to life with her cooking. In bringing the townspeople’s emotions out, she is able to help them process and overcome their troubles. But when she meets someone special, she finds a feeling of affection and a world she’s never known before. This story illustrates how a young girl can shape her own experiences while finding love and acceptance along the way.

Perfect for: Helping kids find magic in their differences.

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How can we access our inner self? The creative, limitless imagination? Why not with a door? In each of our own minds, we have absolute creative control. Our imagination breathes life into us that can illuminate our everyday lives with a voice that speaks with clarity and paints with vivid color. This book provides a gateway to accessing and appreciating one’s imagination and all the possibilities it holds.

Perfect for: Creatively-minded kids with active imaginations.

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In this magical tale, sisters and brothers of all kinds get a spotlight. They fight over playing with the same toys. They fall asleep together reading fairy tales. They find their similarities and acknowledge their differences. Most of all, they learn that they are strongest together and will always be the other’s greatest supporter. In this picture book, Ariel Andres Almada offers a warm-hearted tribute to siblings of all kinds. An installment of her Family Love series, a sense of familial love is integral to this read.

Perfect for: Inspiring kids to appreciate their siblings.

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Bianca and Barnaby Bizzie spend a lot of time by themselves. Their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bizzie, have hectic, time-consuming jobs as a nature photographer and detective, respectively, requiring them to be out of the house for long days. To entertain themselves, Bianca and Barnaby have taken up hobbies. Bianca plays with and cares for the family pets while Barnaby cooks delicious foods. The Bizzies soon notice their belongings disappearing. Each day a new item is gone with no clues as to where they may have gone. Will the Bizzies be able to find their lost things and who stole them?

Perfect for: Reminding kids and parents alike of the importance of quality time with loved ones.

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As the youngest of a family of fireflies, Lucy has always been too little to go off on her own. When she finally is old enough to head off into the forest, she’s beyond excited. As she gets ready, she finds that something is stopping her and she doesn’t want to leave. But before she doubts herself too much, her family steps in to encourage her and make sure she’s ready to go. This story is a wonderful reminder that one’s talents and brilliance must be trusted and supported in order for us all to shine.

Perfect for: Kids learning to trust in their talents.

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When a little boy named Nicky gets reading glasses for the first time, he worries that his friends will not accept him anymore because he is different. On his way to school that day, he speaks to his peers that are each different from him in a variety of ways. These conversations help him realize that our differences are not our weaknesses but rather our strengths. This book is a great introduction to the concept of diversity through the lens of someone realizing that they are different, making it a great way to boost a child’s self-confidence and promote self-acceptance.

Perfect for: A child-friendly introduction to diversity and inclusion.

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