"Sunday Spotlight" Learning, Community, and Finding Balance: A Children's Book Review

I’m so excited to continue a brand-new blog series called “Sunday Spotlight.” Each week, I’ll be sharing a children’s book I love, along with my perspective as both a mom and a counselor. My goal is to give you a thoughtful, honest review while also highlighting an easy-to-spot social-emotional learning (SEL) connection you can naturally weave into storytime.

At the end of each post, I’ll include a link to grab the book if you’re interested. These links are affiliate links, but there is never any pressure to purchase. Clicking and buying through them never adds any extra cost to you; it’s simply one way to support this blog if you choose.

This Week’s Picks from Harmony Lane

Next up in this week’s Sunday Spotlight lineup are Let’s Work Smarter and Ready… Set… Frog!, both written by Katharine Mitropoulos and illustrated by Laura Watson.

Both stories take place in the sweet and thoughtful community of Harmony Lane, where different characters navigate everyday challenges together. These are the kinds of stories that feel cozy, familiar, and meaningful, perfect for young readers ages 3–7.

Ready… Set… Frog!: Helping Others While Helping Yourself

In Ready… Set… Frog!, we meet Frogathan (and yes, this name alone will immediately win kids over). Frogathan is determined to win an obstacle race and sets out to practice. But just as he’s about to begin, a friend in need calls out, again and again.

Frogathan finds himself wrestling with a big, very relatable question: "Do I keep helping others, or do I make time for myself too?"

Through his journey, Frogathan learns that while helping others is essential, it’s also okay, and necessary, to take care of yourself. This balance is something many of us, as parents, educators, and counselors, are still learning, and I love how gently and accessibly this lesson is presented to young children. It creates such a natural opportunity for ongoing conversations as kids grow.

Let’s Work Smarter: Community in Action

In Let’s Work Smarter, the Harmony Lane community sets out to improve their playground. Everyone jumps right in, eager to help, but quickly realizes that working harder doesn’t always mean working better.

With guidance from a thoughtful leader, the group learns how planning, collaboration, and communication can make a big difference. This story is a beautiful example of teamwork and problem-solving in action.

One extra layer I love: the author is a speech-language pathologist, and you can really feel that expertise woven throughout the story. The book naturally supports skills like collaboration, communication, creativity, and flexible thinking. It’s an excellent choice for classrooms, small groups, counseling sessions, or at-home learning, and it’s a story kids can return to at different ages, taking something new each time.

Illustrations That Speak Volumes

The illustrations in both books are adorable. The soft, thoughtful color palette perfectly matches the gentle tone of the stories, and each page feels warm and inviting.

As a mom, these are the kinds of books I’d notice immediately on a shelf. The illustrations don’t just support the story; they enhance it. If a picture is worth a thousand words, these illustrations tell stories all on their own.

From a Social-Emotional Learning Perspective

While both books work beautifully as simple bedtime reads, they also shine when paired with intentional SEL conversations or lessons. I love stories like these, ones kids already enjoy on their own, but that also offer meaningful opportunities to deepen learning through play, discussion, and reflection.

5 Ways to Weave These Stories into SEL Learning

1. Balance & Boundaries Talk: After Ready… Set… Frog!, ask: “How do you know when you need help? How do you know when you need a break?” Help children understand that both helping others and helping yourself matter. You as the adult can also model this lesson by sharing times when you needed a break.

2. Teamwork Mapping: After Let’s Work Smarter, draw a picture of a project (like a playground or classroom task) and talk about who could help and how. This builds planning and collaboration skills.

3. Feelings Check-Ins: Ask children how Frogathan might feel when he’s interrupted or how the Harmony Lane friends feel when their plan isn’t working. Connect those feelings to times your child has felt the same way. Again, you, as the adult, can model examples for yourself. This modeling is so important for kids' learning!

4. Problem-Solving Practice: Create a simple challenge (building with blocks, cleaning up toys) and try it once without a plan, then again with a plan. Reflect on what changed.

5. Community Strengths Circle: Talk about what each character brings to their community. Then ask: “What do you bring to your family/classroom?” This helps children recognize their strengths and sense of belonging. It also helps children understand that a team can be more than just in sports; it can also be in different parts of their lives.

These Harmony Lane stories are thoughtful, engaging, and rich with growth opportunities, and I love how naturally they invite kids (and adults) into conversations about balance, teamwork, and community.

Want to See a Book Featured?

For “Sunday Spotlight”, my goal is to review 1–3 children’s books each week. If you have a book you’d love to see featured, are a children’s book author yourself, or know an author who might enjoy having their story reviewed, I’d love to hear from you.

Feel free to reach out anytime at guidedbygiggles@gmail.com 💛

Let’s keep celebrating stories that help kids grow, one giggle (and page) at a time.

Click the picture to grab your copies of Ready... Set... Frog! and Let's Work Smarter.

Let's Work Smarter by Katharine Miropoulos

Ready... Set... Frog! by Katharine Mitropoulos