Books published by publisher Friesenpress

Meet Ruby, an active child who loves to bounce, dance and play with her friends. When an accident occurs from too much excitement, Ruby calms herself in three easy steps and teaches the reader to do the same.By staying calm and visualizing a colourful bubble around themselves, Ruby and her friends become more aware of their personal space and the personal space needs of others. It's as easy as counting 1, 2, 3."Ruby's Bubble" is a children's book aimed at guiding children to become mindful of their personal space. By practising the relaxation and visualization technique, they develop the social skills that allow them to engage successfully and respectfully with others. The beautiful hand painted water colour images, created by illustrator Dakota Bicklmeier, create a unique visual for young children to enjoy. The whimsical illustrations make for a perfect read aloud for classroom settings or can be enjoyed on its own....

How do you approach a math problem that challenges you? Do you keep trying until you reach a solution? Or are you like Amy, who gets frustrated easily and gives up?Amy is usually a happy and enthusiastic student in grade five who loves to dance, but she is struggling with a tough math assignment. She doesn't think she is good at math because her classmates always get the answers faster than she does and sometimes she uses her fingers to help her count. Even though her mom tries to help her, Amy is convinced she just cannot do math. She decides not to do the assignment at all since she thinks she wouldn't do well anyway.As Amy goes about her day, her experiences at ballet class, the playground, and gym class have her thinking back to how she gave up on her math assignment. She starts to notice that hard-work, practice, and dedication lead to success, thanks to her friends and teachers. She soon comes to understand that learning math is no different than learning any other skill in life. With some extra encouragement from her math teacher, a little help from her mom, and a new attitude, Amy realizes that she can do math!...

When Kenny Pearl arrived in New York City, determined to succeed as a dancer, he was penniless, friendless and jobless. His memories shine against the backdrop of the turbulent ’60s and ’70s, including Vietnam War protests, the military draft and the rampant crime that once plagued the city. From humble beginnings in the hippie-populated Lower East Side, to performing with the greats of the New York modern dance scene—he danced with the companies of both Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey—Pearl’s life is one of tenacity, hard work and passion. This is the engaging story of the hurdles he faced on his unique journey and the remarkable people he met along the way.

This book was written to be a bedtime story. Hopefully to introduce children to the concept of having a dream and to have goals in life. It's about working for those dreams, and working through the disappointments and sometimes the costs of having dreams.Little Tree grows in the forest with birds and other trees for friends. He feels like he wants something more than what the forest has for him. From his friends the birds, he hears about Christmas Trees and humans. He starts to wish to become a Christmas Tree. He works hard on growing tall and straight with full branches so that one day some humans will come take him. His friends warn him that being a Christmas Tree means he will never come back to the forest and he will go away when Christmas is over.This is a story about having a goal and dream and pursuing the dream no matter what the cost might be. Will Little Tree realize his dream? Will he regret it if he does?

Pinky, the Purrminator shares her rescue story from the perspective of a displaced cat on the “inside”. She soon realizes that the life of a rescue animal is scary and sometimes hopeless. Yes, they have food and shelter, which is better than living on the street, but Pinky firmly believes that she and her fellow canine and feline friends deserve better. After hearing the game show, The Price is Right on the TV in the rescue where Pinky is being held, she begins to formulate a cunning plan. She vows that if she ever finds a forever home, she will do her very best to become a voice for rescue cats and dogs everywhere. In time she finds a loving forever home and is determined to set her plan in motion. Pinky has but one item on her bucket list and she is desperate to make it happen. She enlists the help of several neighborhood Amish cats and the various inside and outside cats (and dogs) in the household. The Purrminator, proves to be a powerful leader, but getting her rag-tag group of friends to understand and execute her ideas is at times an overwhelming task. Pinky and her companions find themselves on a wild roller coaster ride full of amazing, and at times frightening twists and turns. She repeatedly meets obstacles and often feels defeated, but she never forgets the other rescue animals that she vowed to help.The other animals under Pinky’s guidance quickly learn to never underestimate the Purrminator. She is stubborn and tenacious with fierce determination. With perseverance and persistence, mixed in with luck and a bit of serendipity, she is so close to marking off that one item and fulfilling her lifelong dream. But just as Pinky is about to savor experiencing her dream trip to meet her idol, Drew Carey, fate will intervene and derail it all?

Ella is a happy, fun-loving girl who is just starting school. She knows all of her letters, helps take care of her little sister, and enjoys riding her blue bike. Sometimes she has to practice sitting still. Ella loves to play and is a good friend.Ella has Down syndrome. Though she might look a bit different and have trouble saying some words, she is more the same than different, and she wants to be accepted and included just like any other child. In a simple, welcoming way, This is Ella teaches children about Down syndrome, inclusion, and friendship. The story is followed by information about Down syndrome, including helpful facts and explanations. This is Ella offers a perfect starting point for a conversation with children about difference in general, Down syndrome in particular, and the concepts of inclusion and friendship.

Help Your Kids Discover Their Brain-Changing Powers!​Did you know that bad thoughts are stickier than good ones? It's true! Our brains see them more and remember them longer. That's what Aria learns in Sticky Brains: that it's not her fault when she gets stuck on the bad stuff. Sometimes her brains shows her only part of the whole picture. And then she discovers something amazing: her brain gets good at what it practices (yours does too)! She learns to train her brain to make good thoughts stick too, just by paying attention in a new way. ​Sticky Brains uses kid-friendly language to teach ​kids ​(and the adults who love them) about mindfulness and neuroplasticity, empowering them to change their brains to find more​peace and ​happiness in their lives.​ ​The book, endorsed by beloved children's entertainer Raffi, ​includes additional information on mindfulness, negativity bias, and neuroplasticity as well as exercises and activities for children and their families.

Have you ever felt like a pest, like you didn't quite fit in? The Perfect Dandelion is about a dandelion who feels anything but perfect and struggles to see her worth and value among the beautiful flowers around her. It isn't until she realizes her place in nature that the dandelion begins to understand that her imperfection is actually what makes her perfect. A story about self-esteem, self-worth, acceptance, courage, and inner beauty, The Perfect Dandelion is a must-read for all young children who are starting to wonder where exactly they fit in....

For Jonathon, the Home Wood that borders his grandfather’s farm has always been a source of mystery and dread. Strange half-heard rumours passed among aunts, uncles and cousins never quite add up.More than twenty years ago, his father—when he was Jonathon’s age—was swallowed up by the Home Wood for more than a day and came back badly injured. That was when his grandfather forbade any family member from venturing back there.And so when, from his bedroom window one morning, Jonathon sees his father once again cross into the Home Wood, he knows something is very wrong. Deceiving his grandfather, Jonathon sets out after his father and makes his way, for the first time in his life, into the woods.What he finds there is beyond even his wildest imagination.

Ian is a very inquisitive iguana. And he's hungry! So, Ian and his brother, Igor, decide to set out in search of a nutritious lunch. Do you know what iguanas eat? Curious about all the tasty treats paradise has to offer, Ian scampers up a palm tree. Surely coconuts are so big that one coconut would feed Ian and Igor much more than just lunch! But Ian doesn't listen when his older brother tries to teach him why coconuts aren't meant for iguanas to eat. And what could possibly go wrong? Well ... just ask Ian!Ian and Igor: Inquisitive Island Iguanas follows the adventures of these two characters as they explore their natural habitat. It is packed with lessons not only about nature, but also about the value of listening to our elders. In addition, this picture book is excellent for use in cross-curricular content areas. Encouraging students to explore and learn about faraway places, the Activity Packet in the back of the book provides a variety of practice activities for reinforcing and enhancing skills already learned, as well as introducing new skills. Such skills include: vocabulary building and comprehension skills, such as identifying cause-effect relationships, compare and contrast, and story elements. The packet provides opportunities for children to engage with the text through written expression and is ideal for use as independent study for home-school, classroom, or small group discussion settings....

Roxy is a very special dog with a very important job. Every day, she goes to work with her owner, Pam, who is a counselor at a nearby university. Pam helps the students cope with stress and other difficult emotions, and Roxy's loving presence helps them feel better, too. She lets the students hug her and pet her soft fur.However, there is one thing that Roxy loves almost as much as helping people, and that's playing Frisbee! One day, Roxy thinks of a great plan that will give her more time to play Frisbee: she will hire another animal assistant to help Pam part-time in the office! After putting up flyers for the job, Roxy soon meets an interesting collection of animals who are interested in the job, including a tiny ant named Andy, and a giant elephant named Bella. While she sees something special in each of the animals she interviews, none of them seem perfect for the job. What will Roxy do?In this heartwarming book based on a real-life therapy dog, author and counseling psychologist Pam Flint brings us a story about friendship and finding purpose. Each of the characters ends up finding meaningful work with each other, building friendships along the way. Children will learn that even when we are disappointed by something, if we remain loving and open to possibility, things can turn out better than we expected....