It is normal for all of us to feel sad and lonely on occasion, but it can be more complicated for young children to deal with those feelings. The Lonely Toadstool: A Children's Book About Emotions and New Friends That Come as We Find Our Voice will show young readers how to express their emotions. Children will feel comfortable and understand that it is just as beneficial to accept help as it is to help others. This tale concerns a toadstool who, alone in the middle of the forest, thinks about his situation. He is sad because besides being alone, he feels different from others. At one point, he cried so loudly that some of the animals and creatures of the forest stopped their activities and went to help. Kristin Addington Culpepper develops a tale where children will learn to express their feelings and seek the good of others.

Kristin Addington Culpepper shares a poem in story form, and reading it will be entertaining and easy for children to follow. I also liked the illustrations because the landscapes convey the emotions of The Lonely Toadstool. The environment that is described invites you to feel love for nature because even natural phenomena like rain do their part to assist. I recommend this tale because children are at a stage when they are learning to live together in a community with others, and you see that illustrated in this book. I liked the lesson about togetherness, as all the characters tried to help the toadstool. This story teaches us that we should all act to help others and it is a beautiful tale of
solidarity and empathy.

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- Readers' Favorite 5 Star Award Winner,
Reviewed by Diana Lopez