fiction

DISCO DAVE

Published by Magination Press

Out March 3, 2026! Preorder now wherever you get books!

ISBN 978-1-4338-4858-2

Illustrated by Yana Kozak

Dave the walrus adores disco! The booming bass drums and blasting brass horns. The glittery globes and shiny shirts. And especially the dances! But when he hits the dance floor…catastrophe! His flipper snags on a rug, or his tusks catch the curtains, or…worse! His friends wonder if maybe disco just isn’t Dave’s bag. But he refuses to let disco die! When the disc jockey quits unexpectedly, Dave discovers that flippers are great for spinning records, and tusks are perfect for sliding levers. He may not be a great dancer (yet), but he can find the funk in his own special way.

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Daddy’s Little Burrito

Highlights Press, March 31, 2026 Available for preorder anywhere you get books!

ISBN 9781639624348

Illustrated by Beatrice Tinarelli

The best gift for new dads! Fathers, pops, and daddies alike will delight in reading this sweet rhyming story to their precious babies, who will love touching (and chewing!) the shiny, crinkle minky material safely fastened to the sturdy board book.

Celebrate Dad’s humorous love for his tightly swaddled baby with this lovely story featuring bright and humorous illustrations. This keepsake board book—with a prominent spot on the back cover to add a personalized dedication—is super fun to read aloud. Parent-tested and approved—it’s easy to hold the book in one hand while snuggling a baby in the other (new baby smell not included).

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fiction

Grandma’s Little Love Bug

Highlights Press, Dec 9, 2025 Available for preorder anywhere you get books!

Illustrated by Ana Zurita

ISBN 9781639623525

The best gift for new grandmas! Nanas, Gigis, and Mimis alike will delight in reading this sweet rhyming story to their precious grandbabies. Babies will love touching (and chewing!) the soft crinkle material safely fastened to the sturdy board book.

Celebrate Grandma’s unconditional love! This delightful keepsake board book captures the special bond between Grandma and her new grandbaby with bright, humorous illustrations. Perfect for reading aloud, it’s designed to be held in one hand while snuggling a baby with the other. With space for a personalized dedication on the back cover, this book is a cherished gift that’s grandma-tested and parent-approved!

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fiction

BEAR AND FRIENDS PUZZLE READER COLLECTION

Highlights Press, March 3, 2025

Illustrated by Clair Rossiter

6 books in 1! This bear-y exciting collection of Level P stories is perfect for kids just beginning to read simple sentences.

Highlights Puzzle Readers offer an innovative approach to learning that integrates puzzles and stories to develop motivated, confident readers.

Young kids will feel confident practicing their new reading skills with this collection of six beginning readers! Join Bear and his friends Mouse, Squirrel, and Fox on six fun forest adventures. In these Level P Highlights Puzzle Readers, young readers can interact with the stories by finding hidden letters in the illustrations. Simple text with picture support will keep readers turning pages. With bonus matching activities to reinforce vocabulary, kids will be on the way to being readers in no time!

The book includes Where Is Bear?, A House for Mouse, A Scarf for Squirrel, Fox Wants a Pet, Pup Is Lost, and Wake Up, Bear!

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fiction

THE LAST DAY JULIAN WAS MY BEST FRIEND

Two Lions/Amazon, June 4, 2024

Illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

ISBN-10: 1662516169

ISBN-13: 978-1662516160

A touching story of true friendship and the power of forgiveness.

Best friends and neighbors Anthony and Julian are having the summer of their lives. Making pancakes, riding bikes to the beach, playing in the sand and surf…They have everything they need for an epic summer vacation. But Anthony is worried. He has a secret―a secret about Julian’s missing marble. And he knows that once Julian finds out about it, he’ll be mad. He may not even want to be Anthony’s best friend anymore. So Anthony is determined to have the best last day as Julian’s best friend…until he can’t hold in his secret any longer. But maybe Julian has a surprise of his own to share with Anthony.

2025 Crystal Kite Award Winner! “SCBWI proudly announces the winners and honor recipients of the 2025 Crystal Kite Awards, recognizing outstanding books created by SCBWI members across fifteen international regions. Unique among literary honors, the Crystal Kite Awards are peer-voted, making them a meaningful accolade within the children’s book community.” -Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators

31 Days, 31 Lists, Betsy Bird’s 2024 Best Picture Book Readalouds

“Foof! I don’t usually expect such an emotional wallop when reading through your average picture books, but I gotta give Shaffer credit for both the title of this book and the concept. This ratchets up the tension all the way through, and I have to assume that if you were to read this aloud to a group you’d have every kid listening on the edge of their seats. Anthony and Julian are definitely friends and Shaffer is going to give you every play by play of “that day”. When Anthony commits a crime against his best friend, it could go wholly unnoticed, but this is essentially the picture book version of “The Tell-Tale Heart”. The sheer guilt of the sin (Anthony took Julian’s best marble and pretended it was missing) causes Anthony to confess during a sleepover. You can debate the ending and whether or not the book is playing fair with its title or not, but I think that just means that it gives you good fodder for discussion with a group of kids. Let THEM hash it out! A surprisingly tense read.” -Betsy Bird

Review on Vivian Kirkfield’s Perfect Picture Book Friday

Review on Publisher’s Weekly

Review on Kirkus: “A touching exploration of the complicated dynamics of friendship.“

Full review on Midwest Book Review “Owning up to a mistake, loyalty, stealing, being honest, friends letting us down… all important themes and lessons featured in this heart-warming tale.” —Midwest Book Review

Review on Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books:  “In the end, Julian’s response shows readers that honesty and forgiveness are crucial components of true friendship at any stage of life.”

Recently on Goodreads: “A story of friendship and forgiveness, The Last Day Julian Was My Best Friend is such a great example of what it means to value others and have show compassion. We all make mistakes and do things we regret but true friends see our value and love us beyond those mistakes.” -Sara R.

“As a teacher of young children, I’m always looking for books like this to share at storytimes. Social situations can be tricky for young kids to manage, and books that touch on topics like friendship, forgiveness, and the importance of being honest are great conversation-starters.

In this story, we have two boys who are best friends. They have wonderful summer days together, riding bikes, making pancakes, and playing at the beach. But one of them is worried that something he has done will end the friendship.

Jody Jensen Shaffer tells this story in a way that children will relate to. And the illustrations by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff are beautiful. Together, they bring readers into this perfect summer day in a way that shows what is at stake if this friendship is lost. The story’s resolution is kid-friendly and has lots of heart.” -Sheri D.

“This book is SO cute for kids and filled with important lessons! The artwork is sensational and captured my eyes and heart immediately. And the story centered around what being a best friend means, making mistakes, apologizing, with emphasis on the power of forgiveness! The best part is that I loved it, my niece loved it long enough to sit still the whole time and pay close attention to details of the illustrations *and* the story, and even my mom and grandma listened and agreed, saying how cute and great this book was! Overall, I rate this book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 (5/5) Stars!🤩” -Tee Hee Tara

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fiction

PORCUPINE HAD A FUZZY SWEATER

GREAT NEWS!! PORCUPINE is a finalist for the 2026-2027 Missouri Show Me Award! Thanks so much to the Missouri Association of School Librarians for loving Porcupine as much as I do! Missouri students in grades 1-3 will vote for their favorites!

Magination Press, September 17, 2024

Illustrated by Angela Edmonds

ISBN: 978-1-4338-4357-0

Porcupine’s favorite sweater is missing! It was fuzzy, and red, and made with love by his Grandma. Porcupine doesn’t want to hurt her feelings by admitting he lost it. Maybe he can make a new one? Or borrow someone else’s? Or maybe he’ll have no choice but to leave home. What’s a porcupine to do?

A cute story that empathizes with anyone who’s ever made a mistake and been afraid to admit the truth. Readers will delight in helping Porcupine decide what needs to be done.

Porcupine Had a Fuzzy Sweater coloring page here

Interview on Picture Book Builders here

Interview on Beagles & Books here

Interview on Picture Book Places here

Goodreads review here

Writing and Illustrating interview here

Jody reads Porcupine Had a Fuzzy Sweater on Youtube here

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fiction

TOO MUCH TOUCH

Picture Window Books/Capstone, August 1, 2023

Illustrated by Gal Weizman

ISBN-10: 1484684400

ISBN-13: 978-1484684405

Taylor is back from summer camp, and he’s excited to see all his friends and family. So excited, in fact, that he forgets to keep his hands to himself. One by one, his friends become upset with him, and he cannot figure out why. Will Taylor come to realize that he’s invading their personal space?

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fiction, picture books

THE WORRY WARTHOG

Picture Window Books/Capstone, August 1, 2023

Illustrated by Gal Weizman

ISBN-10: 1484684303

ISBN-13: 978-1484684306

Winona tends to worry about all the things that could go wrong, and it’s turning her into a worry warthog! From monsters under the bed to failing math tests, worries keep swirling around in her head. Can Winona learn some ways to keep her anxiety under control?

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fiction

SOMETIMES I AM HOT LAVA

Beaming Books, April 2, 2024

Illustrated by Amelie Videlo

ISBN: 1506493459

Sometimes when I get mad . . . Bubble . . . Boil . . . Erupt!

Most of the time, Buddy is a regular kid. He has ups and downs. But when things don’t go his way, he can feel the magma bubble and boil inside of him until he erupts like a volcano. Fortunately, he knows a few ways to return to feeling as calm and cool as igneous rock.

Sometimes I Am Hot Lava shows kids like Buddy how to manage feelings of anger and frustration through mindful breathing techniques. Backmatter teaches readers about anger and helps us identify what we’re feeling, why we’re feeling it, and what we can do about it.

School Library Journal: “VERDICT Everyone gets mad, and this highly relatable story shows what to do when it happens. Recommended for all collections.” Full review here

Nicole Garnett’s Picture Books, Printables, and Play–OH MY! here

FREE printable coloring page and “I’m a Little Angry” song

How to Make a Volcano:

1. Outdoors or on a protected surface, place a plastic cup with a wide base (graduation-type cups work well)
2. Fill it 2/3 full with water
3. Add 3-4 Tbs of baking soda
4. Add 1 tsp of dish soap
5. (Optional) add a drop or two of food coloring or 1/2 oz to 2 oz of washable paint
6. Stir
7. Add up to 1 cup of white vinegar
8. Watch your volcano erupt!

Order SOMETIMES I AM HOT LAVA here!

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fiction

PUP IS LOST

Highlights Press, March 15, 2022

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1644726823

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1644726822

Fox can’t find his black-and-white puppy–where could Pup be? In this Level P Highlights Puzzle Reader, kids can join in the search and then find hidden letters throughout the book. The simple text has lots of picture support that will keep readers turning the pages. With a bonus matching activity to reinforce vocabulary, kids will love playing along in this forest adventure.

Highlights Puzzle Readers offer an innovative approach to learning that integrates puzzles and stories to develop motivated, confident readers. These Level P books are perfect for kids just beginning to read simple sentences.

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fiction