Picture Books

Winner of • Parent's Choice Gold • Benjamin Franklin Silver • IPPY Bronze • INDIES Book of the Year Bronze • SCBWI Spark Honor •

REVIEWS

After a small yellow farmhouse gets converted into a cozy mobile home, it sets off on a cross-country road trip. Polaroid-style “photos” highlight stops on the journey, including St. Louis and New Orleans. Bernardo (who previously collaborated with Fletcher on Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs) alludes to the family who have made Tiny House their new home (“Though they didn’t have room for all their old stuff,/ what they decided to keep was exactly enough”), but Fletcher keeps them offscreen, allowing readers to imagine themselves in the story. Hitched up to a vintage green truck, aka Big Truck, Tiny House encounters other types of residences, including a pompous mansion named Missy, who chides, “You can’t be a home/ if you don’t stay in one place”; an Airstream-style trailer; a houseboat; and a “skoolie” bus. Bernardo’s singsong verse sometimes stretches for its rhymes, but it still sets up a mood of adventure equally evident in Fletcher’s crisp, cheerful, and polished artwork. It’s a story that sings the praises of tiny living and the camaraderie of the open road. Ages 4–8. 
- Publisher's Weekly

I could not love this book anymore than I do! The adorable illustrations make our journey across the USA with Tiny on his grand road trip a pleasure. A wonderful adventure that brings "home" the message of what home really means!
- Patrice Karst, Best Selling Author of THE INVISIBLE STRING

As both a preschool teacher and Tiny-House enthusiast, THIS IS THE PERFECT BOOK. It's both my loves (children's books and THOW's). When I read this to my class, the children were moved and entertained. It held their attention and probed deeper questions around how we choose to live. Thank you for such a wonderful book to add to my collection. It will be on display in my own THOW's soon!!
- Grace Purcell, Teacher & Amazon reviewer

The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm

By LeVar Burton and Susan Schaefer Bernardo
Illustrated by Courtenay Fletcher

When little Mica Mouse is scared by thunder booming outside her cozy home, Papa Mouse reaches for just the right story to comfort her. Hugging her close, he begins to read The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm. In this poetic book-within-a-book, a happy little rhinoceros is overwhelmed by a storm that sweeps away everything he loves. Swallowing the storm just makes him feel worse, so Rhino sets off on a whimsical journey toward healing. Along the way, he meets many friends, including a kind spider, a brave kangaroo, a wise tortoise, and an uplifting whale. With their help, Rhino lets go of the storm inside and learns to see the light in a world turned gray. Mica Mouse is soothed by the story and Papa’s gentle reminder that even though bad things sometimes happen, the world is full of people who care.

In his first children’s book, longtime Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton gives us an engaging resource to help children express their feelings and navigate through difficult experiences. The “Take a Deeper Look” page at the end of the book even provides discussion questions to facilitate a healing dialogue.

IPPY Gold Award for Children's Picture Book

Hardcover & Paperback: 32-page, 8.5x11
New Edition: November 2020
ISBN: 978-1-951297077 (HC), 978-1-951297299 (PB)
Age: 4+ years

Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs

By Susan Schaefer Bernardo
Illustrated by Courtenay Fletcher

Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs is a beautiful picture book with a simple but powerful message: love lasts forever.

Lyrical writing and delightful illustrations provide perfect bedtime reading for any child. The book is also ideal for supporting children through grief, separation anxiety, divorce, illness or other traumatic situations, by wrapping them in a warm and comforting emotional security blanket and opening a dialogue on the nature of love. Even when loved ones cannot be with us, we can feel their presence through our deep connections to the natural world.

Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs was selected as a Child's Grief Awareness Day book-of-the-month, and also featured three years in a row for Children's Multicultural Book Day.

Hardcover: 32-page, 8.5x11, full color illustrations
Publisher: Inner Flower Child Books (November, 2012)
ISBN: 978-0971122895
Age: 3+