Books with author Russell Erickson

Children often have a difficult time understanding why they should save their money. It's even harder to explain to them why they should donate part of their money to those in need. Eric Russell's "Squeakers Learns to Save" helps children understand the importance of saving and donating in a fun, engaging way. Squeakers is a mouse who loves to spend his money as soon as he gets it. After his house burns down, he finds himself without a home and without any money. Squeakers turns to a charity for help, and he learns the value of saving his money as well donating to charity. Squeakers donates part of his money back to the charity that helped him, and he saves part of his earnings for later.

In Eric Russell’s “Andy’s First Step” story, children will learn that just talking about something is not enough to make it happen. They will learn how important it is to develop a plan and then actually follow that plan, acting to achieve their goals. Andy the Antelope and Chip the Chipmunk have talked for years about wanting a house better than they have, but only when they start taking actions towards that goal, do things start to change. Once Andy and Chip realize they have to act to make their dreams come true, they soon find that it is not as hard as they thought it would be. Children will see, through Andy and Chip, that in order to achieve their goals, they have to initiate actions towards those goals.

Barry the Athlete, by Eric Russell, is a book to help children understand the importance of exercise. It follows Barry the bear as he decides to start an exercise plan to keep healthy and ready for springtime fishing. Bobby the bobcat agrees to exercise, too. After a long winter, Barry emerges from his cave healthy and fit, while Bobby -who neglected to exercise- comes out of his cave sleepy and weak. By contrasting Barry the bear and Bobby the bobcat, children can see the impact that exercising can have on their lives. This story can be used by both teachers and parents to show the importance of physical health in a fun and engaging way.

In Eric Russell’s “Walk the Talk Ringo,” children will learn how bad it is to boast about being able to do things when you really cannot do them. Ringo the Raccoon tries to impress all of his new neighbors when he moves to a new forest, all because he wants to make friends fast. He says he can do things, but he really cannot do them. Because of his boasting, Ringo makes a lot of the animals upset and angry. Ringo learns that he is better off being honest and letting the animals get to know him. Once he starts “walking the talk,” Ringo makes friends with all of the animals. From this book, children will learn to be honest and not boast about things they cannot do just to make friends. They will learn that bragging about something you can’t really do can get you and others into big trouble.