I am excited and proud to share with you two great reviews for my children’s books — Dexter’s Wonderful Day and Totally Terrible Tommy.

Dexter’s Wonderful Day

Reviewed By Tiffany Davis for Readers’ Favorite

Dexter’s Wonderful Day by Madge H. Gressley is a children’s story about a dinosaur named Dexter who was determined to have a wonderful day, even though none of his friends were available to go to the pond to skip rocks with him. Dexter was bummed out that he didn’t have friends to play with, but he was determined to have a good day so he proceeded to the pond. Along the way, he encountered other friends who were all busy and couldn’t play.

The story is good because as Dexter walked through the woods, he wondered why none of his friends wanted to play, but he never got discouraged. To his amazement, all of his friends surprised him with a birthday party and served a feast. Dexter was grateful for all of his friends and especially for all the gifts he received. Not only was Dexter able to skip rocks, he had so much fun that all he could do was fall asleep and dream about the wonderful day he’d just had with his friends.

This story teaches children patience and the ability to be grateful, even when things don’t go as planned. It is a good book for kindergarten children because at that age they start to better understand the importance of patience and being able to adjust. Dexter’s Wonderful Day by Madge H. Gressley is very well written and is a nice story for young children. A great children’s story!

Totally Terrible Tommy

Reviewed By Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers’ Favorite

Totally Terrible Tommy is just as his name suggests: he’s totally terrible. He tramples his mother’s tulips, trashes his father’s workshop, breaks his sister’s toys, and talks back to his teachers at school. Nothing stops Tommy from being totally terrible. When his grandfather comes to visit, he challenges Tommy’s perspective by asking him why he wants to behave so terribly. Tommy seems to think everyone expects him to be terrible, so that’s what he is. He wants to be noticed and he doesn’t believe he will be noticed if he’s not terrible. His grandfather asks him to try a different approach for a week. Tommy agrees and starts be helpful and nice to everyone. Suddenly Totally Terrible Tommy has become Totally Terrific Tommy and he’s getting more attention than he thought possible. He’s even feeling good about himself. But it’s not enough. You see, Tommy just wants to be Tommy, not Totally Terrible or Totally Terrific, just Tommy. And that’s not such a bad thing either, because no one can or should be perfectly good or perfectly bad all of the time.

Author Madge H Gressley has written a beautiful story. Totally Terrible Tommy is both humorous and serious and teaches readers, young and old alike, the importance of accepting ourselves and others around us for what they are: neither totally terrible nor totally terrific. And it teaches us all the importance of helping out and trying to be considerate and hard working as much as possible. The author is both clever and charming in her story, using the catchy alliteration of T’s in the Totally Terrible Tommy and Totally Terrific Tommy.