Author: cvegnad

Introducing two new initial books in the new series, EQ Explorers designed to inspire and empower: Wally Whale’s Mighty Tale and Compare Bear’s Double Dare. Not only do these books impact children with their message – 100% of the profits of these books goes to help children and families in need around the globe through non-profit Kapalua Cove Foundation – a win win for all!

About Wally Whale’s Mighty Tale

Koa has heard that the secret to being mighty is written on Wally’s tail, and he wants to know what that word is. But when whale and boy meet, Koa discovers the word is smudged! Determined to find out Wally’s secret to happiness, Koa follows the whale through waves and reefs, trying to guess. And the answer is surprising… Wally helps Koa learn that the secret to being happy lies within; it’s an important key to being mighty and to living a big, happy life.

We find ourselves bombarded on screen and in books on the key to happiness but so many people find themselves unhappy. In this beautifully illustrated book, Koa learns that happiness is a choice. And it is a choice – everyday that we wake up, we have a choice on how to behave, how to think and how to tackle the day to day stressors. This can be difficult for adults to learn how to do – not to mention young children.

My favourite part: “No one and no thing has the power to make you happy or unhappy. You always have the power to CHOOSE whether you will be happy.”

It is important for children to learn at a young age, that happiness is found when we choose to be happy in those moments. We don’t need material items or chasing other’s dreams to make us happy – we have to find happiness in ourselves and the world around us. We have to learn to control our emotions so that we can be happy – how we react to others and events says a lot about us and in the long run this helps improve our own mental and physical well being. Children need to learn the tools that will help them identify and express their feelings in a positive manner and also learn from these moments.

You can purchase this book on Amazon.

About Compare Bear’s Double Dare

Compare Bear is unique – he does not do anything bears usually do, like climb trees, run, roar, or go fishing, all because he thinks he can’t do these things as well as other animals! Each time he compares himself to another creature, something strange happens… Danny helps Compare overcome these unexpected surprises and discover that daring to be yourself is an important key to living a big, happy life!

It is hard not to compare ourselves to others and sometimes feel not as good. It may make us want to give up or not try as hard. This book tackles those feelings of not being as good at something as someone else and wanting to give up. In this story, we find Bear who is timid and a bit scared and embarrassed around not being as good as others. He meets Danny, a young boy who helps him come out of hiding (literally!) and helps him realize how special he is.

My favourite parts: “..When I was learning to draw and my friend drew much than I did. I wanted to quit too. But then my teacher said, ‘Danny, the only person you need to be better than is who you were yesterday!'” and “who would you rather be: bit and pieces of all these other animals..or your original self?”

This is a very important message to young children (and teens) that we all have something about us that makes us special and shine. We don’t have to be like others (and shouldn’t want to be) because we are all unique in our own way and this should be celebrated. We should dare to be different and challenge ourselves everyday to celebrate this and try new things regardless of the outcome. This is a beautifully written and illustrated book, perfect for young children to learn how important it is to be themselves.

You can purchase this book on Amazon.

About EQ Explorers Books

Studies have shown that EQ is a key component to living a happy, successful life. And, unlike IQ, EQ can be learned.

The EQ Explorers books weave magical stories of friendship and learning, geared toward children ages 5-10. Each story stars a child and an animal who adventure together to discover and understand EQ principles, such as “happiness is a choice” and “be yourself—don’t compare.” 

The principles taught in each book (i.e. the morals of each story) have been proven to help boost happiness and healthy human connections. They are intended to benefit child readers and their parents and caretakers alike.

“I spent more than two decades learning and practicing the principles in each EQ Explorers book,” says author Kim Linette. “And something very special happened: my happiness increased with each lesson I learned. Perhaps even more importantly, my children’s happiness increased with each principle they incorporated into their lives. I was inspired to create EQ Explorers in order to help other parents fast track the lessons that took me over 20 years to uncover and internalize, and to share this emotional understanding with their kids in a fun, connected way—cuddling up together with a book.”

About Kapalua Cove Publishing

The beautifully illustrated, creative-yet-relatable tales are the first offerings from Kapalua Cove Publishing, an independent imprint launched by Kim Linette in April, 2019. One hundred percent of profits from the sales of Kapalua Cove books go to help children and families in need around the globe through non-profit Kapalua Cove Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to provide resources and inspiration for children to dream big and develop emotional health. Direct donations are made to charitable initiatives and books are donated to orphanages, remote libraries, care centers, and more.

Visit their website here.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.