Do you remember reading The Little Engine that Could as a child? “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” The engine succeeded in making it up the hill. It was a simple story with a simple message. You can overcome an obstacle such as a hill by encouraging yourself to keep trying and not give up. Such is the message of Nicki Nice’s Tricky Letters by Dr. Fran White. Nicky has dyslexia and so has many difficulties learning to read in school. She, like the little engine, encourages herself to “Try and try and try and never give up.” She repeats similar mantras throughout the book. With help from her tutor, teacher and mother Nicki succeeds in learning to read and overcoming her obstacle of dyslexia.

Whether your child suffers from dyslexia or needs encouragement to overcome another obstacle, this would be a good book to read and discuss with them. It teaches the value of overcoming obstacles by the virtue of persistence. The child will be able to relate to Nicki’s feelings and frustrations and will be encouraged not to quit.

Are you able to recite “Jesus Loves Me?” We learned this little song and its profound truth when we were young. It is never too early to begin teaching your children the truth of God’s love and his precious word. “Nothing to Fear” by Laurie Salisbury is based on 2 Timothy 1:17 which tells us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” We have nothing to fear. This simple book teaches children that they have nothing to fear because of Jesus’ perfect love for us. It is written much like a song with rhyme and a repeating chorus. Repetition is how children learn.  This book will begin to teach our children about God’s unconditional love and that they have nothing to fear. I read it to my 16-month-old and she was fascinated by the baby pictures and paid attention to the whole book. I read it to my 3-year old and she wanted it read again. I recommend this book for any parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt or friend of a young toddler.