Little Book of Healing Cover
Reviews for Little Book of Healing

Little Book of Healing builds compassion between adult and child. Its gift is the gentleness of words and images, helpful for children who are very young as well as those who need less guidance. Parents and caring professionals will feel more confident to explore children’s complicated thoughts and feelings with the support of this lovely guide.

Cynthia L. Wall, LCSW, author of The Courage to Trust: a guide to building deep and lasting relationships


The perfect companion for children experiencing grief or loss of any kind. The coloring book format provides a concrete way to process the abstract, complex and confusing concepts of death and loss. The love and caring the author has for children comes through every page and wraps its arms around the grieving.

Jenifer Trivelli, Social-emotional educator, author of therapeutic books for children


The message is really helpful and understandable for small kids. I am looking forward to having this as a resource in my work here at PrairieCare.

Rev. Rebecca Fletcher, MDiv, BCC, chaplain


Working in schools providing mental health support, I have many kids who deal with grief—or don’t deal with it. The book helps with a simple practice that is easy to understand, and it helps them to know what they are moving through is normal. I appreciate that the cost is reasonable and it can be purchased in bulk.

Michele Mayer, LMFTA, CMHS, MHP, school-based mental health therapist


What a beautifully respectful way to honor a young person’s grief. I see this book being such a gift not just to the young person but also to the adult in that child’s life who may be equally stricken with grief. This book can be a tool that will guide the adult in being a support (and healthy emotional role model), and also to receive support themselves and heal with their child.

Danelle Chapman, School counselor

Little Banty Chicken Cover

Awards for
Little Banty Chicken

Moms Choice Award
Gold Medal Winner: Family Friendly Media, Products and Services Category

The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) evaluates products and services created for children and families. The program is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. The organization is based in the United States and has reviewed thousands of entries from more than 18 countries.

Reviews for Little Banty Chicken

Little Banty Chicken is an uplifting children’s book that can be utilized on many levels in the classroom. Whether it’s tied in with community building, character education, or nutrition education, it is a wonderfully written, multi-faceted book.
Beth Taylor, First grade teacher


This book set me to dreaming my own dream before I got past page 5. The book also reminds us that everyone needs a “moon” with whom to share big dreams. Both the text and illustrations feel enchanted! It should also help children to think of nighttime—which is often scary to a small child—as a special magical time that they need not fear.

Melodie Davis, Columnist, blogger


I love this book and the message that telling others of your dreams is empowering and allows those dreams to blossom! I can’t wait to read this in my classroom!

Kari Hulsey, Fourth grade teacher


Little Banty has a big dream but feels she is too small a chicken to fulfill it. With Moon’s guidance, she learns confidence and courage inviting animal friends to a magical party for the Farmer family. In the end, not only do the animals’ dreams come true, but others also have dreams of their own. This artistically beautiful book promotes dreams can come true with help from others.

Conny Withay, Book reviewer/blogger


Banty teaches kids there’s no reason to be “chicken” about sharing their dreams and making them come true!

Susan M. Heim, Chicken Soup for the Soul co-author and parenting blogger

Good People Everywhere Cover

Awards for
Good People Everywhere

Mom's Choice Awards

Gold Medal Winner: Children’s Picture Book — Values & Life Lessons Category

The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) evaluates products and services created for children and families. The program is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. The organization is based in the United States and has reviewed thousands of entries from more than 18 countries.

Teacher's Choice Award: Children's Books
Teachers’ Choice Award: Children’s Books

For 18 years, the Learning® magazine Teachers’ Choice Awards have heralded the very best in classroom-tested, teacher-recommended products. Each year our nationwide panel of teacher—judges names the standouts in books, classroom supplies, educational games, software, websites, and more—everything you need for your classroom.

Gold Medal Winner: Children's Picture Book — All Ages Category

Gold Medal Winner: Children’s Picture Book — All Ages Category

The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to celebrate children’s books and life-long reading. Many of our award-winning books encourage children to be generous and compassionate, to stand up to bullies, and to believe in fulfilling their dreams. The diversity of the winning publishers proves that promoting childhood literacy knows no boundaries, as medal-winners came not only from long-established publishers and university presses, but from small presses, foundations, and self-published entrepreneurs.

Reviews for Good People Everywhere

All over the world, this book explains, people are doing good things. Carpenters are repairing homes damaged by storms. Doctors and midwives are delivering babies. People are planting seeds, and picking fruits and vegetables that will go to the grocery stores. A teenager helps a young child who is lonely and sad. A first-grader helps a friend with a skinned knee. This lovely book encourages kids and parents to talk about what they can do to help other people and make this world a better place.

Susan Heim, onwriting.com


In a world filled with bad news, impressionable children can grow up without a realization that it is filled with many good people. That is why I especially liked Lynea Gillen’s Good People Everywhere ($15.95, Three Pebble Press, a laminated hardcover) beautifully illustrated by Kristina Swarner. In simple language and pictures, it reinforces the understanding that, while bad people may make headlines, good people go about their lives by useful and helpful all around the world. The author has been a school teacher and counselor for more than thirty years. Ideal for those ages 3 and up to about 6 or 7. I heartily recommend it.

Alan Caruba, Founding member of the National Book Critics Circle


Emphasizing the caring things that people do for others every day, this book will bring a smile to the faces of young and old. It offers a peaceful reminder that the world is filled with people helping others in all kinds of big and little ways. And it invites children to think about the ways they can do good things each day. The prose is simple and loving, and the deceptively childlike illustrations bring a magical glow to the pages. This is a lovely and comforting book that will warm the hearts of everyone who reads it. Highly recommended for ages 3 and up.

Awareness Magazine


This book is a wonderful way to get your children to sleep, ease their fears, and develop a sense of gratitude. When we are reading this book together, it actually gives me goosebumps because the words are so special. It tells how various people around the world are doing things to help out. It also brings up many feelings, such as the page where it says a teenage boy is helping out a young child who is sad and lonely. It is beautifully told to teach your children the importance of being compassionate.

The book includes bonus activities to teach and reinforce learning into daily life, giving children opportunities to practice skills. Activities also broaden the book’s appeal to teachers, counselors, and therapists. It is given strong endorsements from educators, media specialist, and parenting specialist.

The Mommyhood Chronicles


Good People Everywhere is a children’s picture book written by Lynea Gillen and illustrated by Kristina Swarner. Created for ages 3 and up, this book helps children become aware of all of the people in the world around them that do good things for others. From the teacher who teaches math, to the big sister who watches her little brother, to the farmer who plants food seeds, to the young student who helps a friend with a hurt knee, there are good people everywhere. In a world where children often live in fear of the “big bad boogey-man” this book is a refreshing look at all of the ways we can help each other and live in peace.

This award-winning storybook encourages children to think of ways they can help others and the back of the book even has suggestions on ways to do things for others. I love this book and have read it several times to my preschoolers. The early childhood years are an important time to instill the value of doing good things for others because preschoolers are so focused on “me, me, me” and “mine” that they need gentle guidance to see outside their own wants. The book is written in simple understandable language and the illustrations are beautiful and engaging. It’s a wonderful addition to our library!

Lisa Weidknecht, Planet Weidknecht


I LIKED this. This book illustrates to preschoolers how to be caring and giving to the people around them. Little Kid and I read it at bedtime, and it was a nice, soothing way to end the day. It is simple, but teaches life lessons that are so important at this critical age in their development. All small children want to be praised for doing “good” and this book gives real examples on how to be helpful and kind. A must read for both boys and girls.

Katie Skelley, Team Skelly Blog


Quite cleverly, it gets kids thinking of how they can and do contribute to the world as well. Something as simple as “mom and dad cooking dinner for their families” or “dancers practicing performances that will bring joy to their friends, their families, and their communities.”

Everyone, even very young children, can contribute something wonderful to their families and communities! This would make a great holiday gift for a special child in your life.

Carrie Wells, Ed.D, huppiemama.com


It has been a while since I have been moved by a children’s book, but Good People Everywhere by Lynea Gillen definitely touched my heart. It is a beautifully illustrated story describing good people all around us, which, sometimes in this world, it can be easy to forget.

The book reads easily, with a flowing quality that provides soothing reassurance for children. As a mother, this book touched my heart because it is a reminder to look for the good. It reminds us that good people are around, despite what we hear in the headlines daily. I love that it challenges readers to be one of the good people at the end. As a licensed counselor, the praises continue. I think this would be a perfect book for children who have experienced trauma, abuse or have lived through a disaster of any kind. It is reassuring and positively focused on the good. It also empowers children that they can be part of the good. There is no question as to why this book is an award winning book (Teachers’ Choice Award, Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, Mom’s Choice Awards).

In addition, the book also includes some activities at the end to reinforce the message of the story, plus encourage children to put into practice what they can do. This is a great resource for teachers, counselors and anyone else working with children.

My daughters, ages 6 and 8, love this book. They agreed that it made them feel “good because it says nice things about people,” and “reminds them how many good people there are.” My girls also said they loved the beautiful pictures illustrated by Kristina Swarner.

This is a book that I imagine I will keep forever and read over and over till we know all the words by heart. I can even picture me pulling it out when my girls are going through the tough middle school years and gently reminding them that there are good people everywhere.

Ann Williams, anniam.com


I’m excited to use this book to help provide comfort to young children who need support and to challenge other young children towards giving to others.

Kandi Engelmann, Early childhood teacher, Minneapolis, MN


Good People Everywhere is an excellent story to help children understand that common scenarios we see happening everyday are actually people helping other people. Lynea Gillen gives children a different perspective of how doing a simple action can benefit others. This book is very inspiring and will have children thinking about the nice things they can do to show generosity and kindness to others.

Veronica Kannenberg, Early childhood educator, Chicago, IL