Archives for June 6, 2025

Frankie’s Train Day! by Ms. Rachel, illus. by Monique Dong and Leo Trinidad

Golden Books, Ages 2-5, 9798217024889

All aboard for “Frankie’s Train Day!” Join Ms. Rachel as she helps her friend Frankie navigate his big feelings. This classic Little Golden Book is perfect for preschoolers and their caregivers, teaching empathy, forgiveness, and emotional regulation. Frankie loves trains, and with Ms. Rachel’s help, he builds the perfect train track for the best day of train play ever. But when things don’t go as planned, Ms. Rachel guides Frankie through his emotions with age-appropriate words, grounding techniques, and conflict resolution skills. It’s a gentle and fun way to teach kids how to manage their feelings!

Hide-and-Seek with Herbie by Ms. Rachel, illus. by Monique Dong

Random House Books For Young Readers, Ages 0-3, 9798217024902

Get ready for a playful adventure with “Hide and Seek with Herbie!” Babies and toddlers will love helping Ms. Rachel find her friend Herbie in this interactive board book. With sturdy flaps on every spread, it’s perfect for developing fine motor skills. As children lift the flaps to search for Herbie, they’ll laugh along with Ms. Rachel and enjoy the fun. This book is not only entertaining but also educational, introducing early concepts like colors, shapes, and objects. Plus, Herbie, a familiar character from Ms. Rachel’s YouTube videos, adds an extra layer of excitement for young readers.

Both of our May books align perfectly with Ms. Rachel’s educational brand, focusing on songs, music, and social-emotional learning themes. With her familiar gestures, songs, and advice, Ms. Rachel’s book program appeals to both kids and caregivers alike.

Do you want one scoop of ice cream? Or two? Or . . . maybe three or four? Let’s ask for more! In this whimsical trip to the ice cream parlor, the youngest reader will learn to count as another scoop of delicious ice cream gets piled onto a cone. How many scoops can you put on your cone? Well, ten of course—which is revealed in a fun gatefold featuring a giraffe’s ten-scoop cone! Hello!Lucky lends their vibrant illustrations and pun-derful voice to this delicious rhyming board book, the first in a brand-new concept series for preschoolers. Future concepts will include shapes, colors, and opposites.

About the Authors:

Hello!Lucky is all about using creativity to spread joy, fun, and kindness. Founded by sisters Eunice and Sabrina Moyle in 2003, Hello! Lucky is an award-winning letterpress greeting card and design studio working with dozens of partners to create products, including Abrams’ pun-derful children’s books: My Mom Is Magical!; My Dad Is Amazing!; My Grandma Is Great!; My Grandpa Is Grand!; My Brother Is the Best!; My Sister Is Super!; Super Pooper and Whizz Kid: Potty Power!; Kindness Rules!; Christmas Is Awesome!; Halloween Is a Treat!; Easter is Egg-cellent!; Sloth and Smell the Roses; Go Get ’Em, Tiger!; Thanks a Ton!; School Is Cool!; Bananas for You!; A Seed Will Grow; and the Astrid and Stella graphic novel series. They also offer gifts, ceramics, stationery, kids’ partyware, and more. Hello! Lucky is based in San Francisco.

 Alby C Williams’ WHERE THERE BE MONSTERS is great for older kids this Summer! Recommended for ages 9-12. Available at B&N and other bookstores!

Eleven-year-old Glory Brown is desperate for adventure far from her family’s quaint, quiet life at The Light Inn. Generations of Browns have been stewards of this humble hotel, which acts as a sanctuary in the stretch of monster-filled land called the Seam. But Glory wants nothing more than to learn how to use her Moxie, a special magic only kids have, and to train to become a Spherinaut like her mother, exploring and documenting the perilous depths of the Outersphere.

When a mysterious boy named Marcus appears one day on a top-secret mission for the Parliamentarium – the school for aspiring Spherinauts – Glory packs up her beloved books and sets off on a once-in-a-lifetime journey that will shuttle her across time and space…and reveal new dangers lurking in the worlds beyond the Seam.

For there’s mischief afoot that’s threatening the balance between the worlds, its magic, and its monsters. And it’s up to Glory to find a solution before it’s too late.

This next one is perfect for the upcoming Father’s Day!

Featuring the same rhythmic charm and delightful illustrations that have captivated CHICKA CHICKA readers for 35+ years and sold close to 30 million copies, these two new alphabet books celebrate the joy of parent-child connections and are the perfect read aloud between a parent and child.

CHICKA CHICKA I LOVE DAD feature engaging rhymes, vibrant artwork, and a gift-ready “To/From” section, making them the perfect present, not just for Father’s Day, but also for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and baby showers. These books feature brand new text and artwork, and feature entirely different content in each book.

Author Bio

Bill Martin, Jr. (1916–2004) has been called “America’s favorite children’s author.” He wrote more than 300 books for children, including the classic texts Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, illustrated by Eric Carle, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, illustrated by Lois Ehlert.

John Archambault is a poet, journalist, and storyteller who worked with Bill Martin, Jr. on several projects. He lives in Idyllwild-Pine Cove, California.



Julien Chung has been a professional designer and illustrator for over twenty-five years. He is the illustrator of picture books such as Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho and Chicka Chicka Tricka Treat, companions to the bestselling Chicka Chicka Boom Boom; Becoming Blue by Ellen Tarlow; Vrooom, Vrooom! by Mary Lyn Ray; and 365 by Miranda Paul. He has created licensed characters for brands worldwide and works for La Presse newspaper in Montreal, Quebec. He lives in Montreal with his wife and a lovebird named Cookie.

Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books to feature. Cover images were also provided.