Picture Books by Amit Rachman
Heartfelt, poetic, and fun stories for kids with an emphasis on inclusivity, acceptance, and kindness.
Zoochies
It takes courage to be yourself and follow your dreams. Zoochies are creatures that come in two colors: purple and green. Purple Zoochies are great at math and are problem-solvers, whereas green Zoochies are performers and comedians. This is the way the Zoochies have always been. Suzie the Zoochie is purple, but her dream is to be a comedian despite the fact that purple Zoochies aren’t allowed to. For the annual stand-up comedy night, Suzie has a very brave plan.
Eggplant Empire
When there’s a drought in Veggie Garden, all of the vegetables are frightened and want someone to lead them and to provide a sense of security. Greg the Eggplant quickly rises to power and becomes the dictator of Veggie Garden. Greg builds a canal system, blames others, and delivers convincing speeches about Veggie pride and Veggie nationalism. Many of the tactics that Greg uses to gain the support of the other vegetables and to maintain power are analogous to the general tactics that we have seen throughout history from infamous dictators. This story is an allegory for how dictators can rise to power, told in a fun child-friendly way with unique characters and a riveting plot.
Pretty Pages
Pretty Pages is a library that is home to thousands of beautiful books with stunning covers. Little Ro gets bullied by all of the other books because his title is smudged, his cover is not as shiny and pretty as theirs, and he has never been read before by anyone! In fact, the first person to open him is the meanest school bully, Jade, who only wants to make fun of him. Jade is surprised to discover, however, that you really can’t judge a book by its cover. And Ro learns that it’s the impact you have on others that defines you, not how you look.
Ralph & Max
Ralph the giraffe and Max the zebra are friends who always compete with each other in EVERYTHING. From bake-offs to races, Ralph and Max want to win and to be better than the other. All of this competing with each other makes it difficult for the two to work together and prevents them from being a true partnership. Is being the best more important than teamwork?
Testimonials
My kids grinned through all the perfectly paced pages, totally mesmerized by the fantastical art, magical setting, and silly but sensitive characters… [Zoochies] not only delivers loads of laughs but also excellent themes such as being true to oneself, dreaming big, and breaking barriers.