I don’t know about you but I’ve always liked to start my book reviews at home because that’s where every story I read ends up landing in real life. And this one takes me back a few years when Charlie was still younger and I was constantly trying to teach Charlie and his friends simple things like sharing, patience, and yes—teamwork—without it turning into a full-blown argument in my living room.
That’s exactly why I pulled out Teamwork (The Island of Cooperation) from the Hugo the Happy Starfish series by Suzy Liebermann again. It’s Summer time in Texas and these children here in our apartment complex have been running around and they’ve been arguing. I’m hoping this book will teach them to stop fighting and to be kind.
This little starfish named Hugo has been around my house longer than I can even remember blogging. I originally picked up several of the books from a website called Thompson when I was just getting started, back when Charlie was still small enough to sit on the floor and actually listen without getting distracted by everything else going on in the house.
This particular story follows Hugo as he leaves his ocean home and travels through different islands where he learns life lessons. In this one, he ends up on the Island of Cooperation. And what he learns there is something I spent years trying to get through to my Charlie, Bradley and there friends+ in real time—doing things together actually makes everything easier.
And honestly, I wish I had this book when Charlie and Bradley were little because I cannot tell you how many times I had to break up an argument over something as simple as “that’s mine” or “I had it first.” And five minutes later they’d be best friends again like nothing ever happened. That’s kids. And that’s also why books like this matter more than we realize.
Hugo tries things on his own at first because he wants to figure everything out by himself, and like most kids, he learns pretty quickly that it doesn’t always go the way he expects. When he finally starts working with others, things start to click. Not because someone tells him to behave differently, but because he experiences the difference himself.
That’s what I like about this series. It doesn’t talk down to children. It shows them. And if I’m being honest, even as an adult, it’s a reminder that not everything in life is meant to be handled alone. Sometimes you really do get further when you stop trying to carry everything yourself.
The illustrations in this book are still one of the reasons I kept these on my shelf all these years. They’re bright, colorful, and simple in a way that holds a child’s attention. Even David, who doesn’t usually sit down with kids’ books, has flipped through these and commented on the artwork before.
It’s one of those books where kids don’t just read it once and forget it. They want to go back to it. And when that happens, the lesson sticks without you having to keep repeating it.These books were clearly built with learning in mind. Some versions include Spanish vocabulary, which is perfect if you’re homeschooling or just trying to introduce a second language in a gentle way. It doesn’t feel forced. It just fits naturally into the story.
And while this is a children’s book, I’ve always said these kinds of lessons don’t stop at childhood. We all need reminders about patience, cooperation, and working together—especially in families, classrooms, and honestly just everyday life.
I’ve kept these books through the years because they didn’t just belong to Charlie when he was small. They’ve been shared with nieces, nephews, and even kids in our apartment complex over time. And I plan to keep them for future grandchildren too, if I’m blessed with them one day. Now, since I know a lot of you reading this have younger kids, I wanted to add something fun you can use right alongside this book.
About:
Come on a sea adventure with HUGO THE HAPPY STARFISH as he finds out that HAPPINESS begins with COOPERATION.
TEAM WORK (THE ISLAND OF COOPERATION) contains a great educational lesson about the ability to work together as a team.
On the ISLAND OF COOPERATION Hugo learns that one can do a lot, however, a team working together can do so much more.
Hugo is a little starfish whose home is at the bottom of the wide ocean. He longs to visit the real world, and one day he decides to go and find it. Hugo’s journey to happiness isn’t quite as straightforward as he hopes though. He is sent to a series of different islands where he is taught important character lessons.
By the end of his journey, Hugo has visited fourteen islands, made many more friends, and, most importantly, learned how to be a better starfish.
‘HUGO THE HAPPY STARFISH – ISLAND ADVENTURES’ is packed with life lessons for kids, showing them the importance of appreciation, patience, tolerance and optimism amongst others.
Teaching children life skills can be tricky, but with this exciting book your kids will come across some of the most important lessons there are to be learned. Like Hugo, their journey to the real world will be full of character lessons along the way.
In Hugo, children, parents, and educators will discover a lovable and engaging role model with whom they can identify.
The story consists of 29 gorgeous illustrations showing a colorful and magical underwater world.
Children will laugh at the delightful characters, hold their breaths in suspense and love to read this story over and over.
The book is suitable as a read aloud book for preschoolers or a self-read book for older children.
The book comes with a number of worksheets which are downloadable at no cost on our website.
The book is offered in two editions (a version with Spanish introductory vocabulary and an English only version) as well as in different languages such as German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese.
There are more HUGO THE HAPPY STARFISH stories waiting to be discovered. Make sure to read THE LAST BULLY and THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS, THE MAGIC OF THE MOMENT, ONE STEP AT ATIME and many more.
Through his adventures, Hugo learns many valuable lessons of character, life skills, and ecological alertness – all amid the backdrop of a magical underwater world and mystical islands.
The stories were developed in conjunction with the author’s teaching experience at an International Baccalaureate® School and they support the different learner profiles and attitudes of the IB PYP curriculum.
Get your copy today and be sure to look out for more quality Kindle Books published by HAPPY LANGUAGE KIDS PUBLICATIONS!
www.MyStarfish.org
www.SuzyLiebermann.com
About: Suzy Liebermann
A native of Germany and former resident of the Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Islands of the Bahamas and Switzerland, Suzy Liebermann—now living in the USA—has travelled the world in pursuit of language, art, and culture.
Having found it, she now shares it with the world’s teachers, parents, and children through educational literature. Leveraging her decades of global experience teaching in German, Spanish, French, and English with a degree in foreign language translation and a master’s degree in business management and international business, she launched Happy Language Kids Publications in 2010 as an interactive language learning program for children and their young-at-heart elders.
This program is particularly aligned with the aims and values she upheld as a teacher of cultural art and foreign language at a prestigious International Baccalaureate World School.
Character Development for Children
Believing that happiness can be learned, feelings can be understood and that building character based on a positive attitude leads to happy, content, self-confident and successful human beings, I have created this exciting series of charming books about HUGO THE HAPPY STARFISH.
The series of books on character education aims to help educate children about their feelings, their attitude, their choices and the consequences that follow and includes an introduction to the Spanish language, lessons of character, ecological alertness and life skills—all amid a backdrop of a colourful island and mystical underwater world.
I have always had a love for teaching and helping others. Being able to share the wisdom of the right attitude through my stories gave my life a new goal to make a difference in the world.
Today I live my dream of helping others to find the right attitude for life – because life gets so much easier with the right attitude. We might not be able to control life’s circumstances or other people’s actions however we can control our attitude towards them.
With lots of LOVE and HAPPINESS,
Disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review. Inside this post you will find affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
