I was recently blessed with the opportunity to review a stack of books from Free Spirit Publishing. This company puts out an amazing selection of high quality books for parents, educators, and children! I was so impressed with their titles, and will be sharing a handful of reviews with you over the next few weeks. (I will also have some books to give away!)

Today, I want to introduce you to an adorable picture book entitled, “26 BIG Things Small Hands Do by  Coleen Paratore. This book is more than your traditional ABC book (although I LOVE alphabet books!) This book, so beautifully illustrated by Mike Reed, walks you and your child through 26 wonderful and significant things their small little hands can do. Each page uses a letter of the alphabet to show your child something they CAN do, all by themselves, to make the world a better place. Here are a few of my favorite pages..”Ii – Small hands invite new friends to play,” and “Vv- Small hands volunteer.”

The mother in me loved that your child will feel empowered as they enjoy this story, and if they are anything like my own children, will likely ask if they can do several of the things listed in the book! It is a simple concept that actually will inspire your children to action! Kids can do so many great things for those they love and the people around them. I love that this little book gives them 26 reasons to feel important, and gives them 26 ideas of ways to show they care.I also thoroughly enjoyed the adorable illustrations and the overall gentle feeling of the book.

The teacher in me loves the opportunity this book gives you to talk about the alphabet. With my 2 1/2 year old, we were able to talk about which letter would come next as we read. I was able to have him try to tell me which word on the page started with the special letter. With my daughter, who is almost 5, we were able to use the book as a challenge. I asked her to try to come up with something else she could do for each letter. She had a lot of fun trying to come up with more ways she could help. This book also will provide opportunity to introduce new vocabulary to your children. Words like “nestle,” “lend,” and “applaud” appear in the book, and will allow you to teach your child some great new words.

If YOU would like to purchase this book for your child, head on over to the Free Spirit Publishing Website and check out this and all of their amazing titles. I can’t wait to share more with you this week! If you don’t want to browse, and just wish to purchase 26 BIG Things Small Hands Do, you can click HERE to buy it! It is a bargain at just $8.99!!

I hope you will check out this book from Free Spirit Publishing! Stay tuned as I have several more reviews from this company coming up later in the week! (and a giveaway!)

Check out “26 Big Things Small Hands Do” by Coleen Paratore with your little one this week, and let them know some of the things THEIR little hands CAN do!