Hot Hot Hot

Reach for this book when your child is feeling grumpy, restless, or physically uncomfortable due to changes in their environment, like a summer heatwave or a rainy day stuck indoors. It is a wonderful tool for validating that external frustrations are real, while modeling how a bit of silly creativity and a good friend can turn a bad mood around. Oscar and Arabella are two woolly mammoths living through the Ice Age when a sudden heatwave strikes. Their thick fur, usually a blessing, becomes a source of sweaty misery. As the mammoths try increasingly absurd ways to cool down, children ages 4 to 8 will delight in the humor and the primitive, mixed-media illustrations. Beyond the laughs, the story touches on creative problem-solving and the value of shared experiences. It is a lighthearted choice for building emotional resilience through humor, helping kids see that even when things are 'too hot' or 'too difficult,' there is always a way to find a smile.