The Ugly Place

A child makes their way along the Arctic shoreline on a dark day. Everything around them seems as ugly as their mood, from the weather to the fish and mud. This is the place they come to whenever they feel ugly.

But as the child closes their eyes and listens, the sound of the waves reminds them to breathe. The tiny krill flick their tails, and the brightly coloured sea stars seem to glow. What they once saw as an ugly landscape is now wonderful and vibrant, and alive with music and beauty.

Building on concepts of social-emotional awareness, this book helps young readers see that they have the ability to control their own emotions.

Rainbow Hands

When a young boy paints his nails with his mom’s nail polish, he discovers the most important thing of all: the magic of being his true self.

As the long late summer day stretches ahead of them, a young boy eagerly looks forward to his favorite time—painting-your-nails time. He know that when he dips into those magical bottles of nail polish, he will discover a color to express his every mood and feeling. Purple is the color of magic and mystery. White is the color of endless possibilities. At times, his papa frowns and says, “What have you done to your nails?” At other times, he says, “Why don’t you paint on paper instead?” But the little boy knows that painting his nails makes his hands look beautiful.

This color-filled story celebrates the joy of finding out who you are and embracing the courage to be yourself.