Educators Rising

From the Creator: "Buddy’s Journey is a book about my dad and our dog Buddy. I wrote this as a memory for my dog who passed away. It introduces grief in the least way possible. As a kid, I was always told my pets would just run away and I didn’t understand why. I’m sure parents now still do this and I want kids to understand that even if their pet is gone they will still always be with them." Written and Illustrated by Alice Aguilar-Rivera '25.

From the Creator: "Princes Priscilla’s Purple Rice is a story about a girl who rejects what she loves to fit in. Her wants her to embrace who she is, and hope she learns to choose her joy over other people’s expectations." Written and Illustrated by Eddie Memmott '25.

From the Creator: "This book is about two friends that communicate with each other to find the missing doll. One of the girls has autism and struggles with communication. I have autism and struggle with communication. I wrote this book so kids with autism have a story to relate to." Written and Illustrated by Ella Darnell '27.

From the Creator: "When Music Speaks is a book written and illustrated to encourage kids to join the music program at their local school. When I was growing up, due to my hearing loss, I had a hard time connecting with my peers and understanding what they were saying. When I joined the orchestra at my middle school, I found community who loved music as much as I did and found a way to almost communicate with the other kids by sharing the emotions and passion that playing viola brought to me. My hope with this book is to foster a love for music that will be cherished for a lifetime." Written and Illustrated by Claire Bennett '26. 

This wall calendar for the 2025 year features a page from a different children's book each month, all written and illustrated by AMES Educators Rising students. Makes a great gift for the holiday season!

From the Creators: "Lizzie Loves Games is a story about a girl named Lizzie who has trouble taking turns with the computer. She spends her whole day playing games and doesn't want to share. This causes problems for her. This story is very much inspired by our experiences growing up online. This book aims to help kids learn the importance of apologizing, sharing, and family. "  

Written by Cassius Ortega '25 and Eddie Memmott '25. llustrated by Eddie Memmott '25.

From the Creator: "This book is meant to aid young children in the process of grieving by giving an example of a pet. I wanted to make a book that younger kids could relate to and could inspire kids to reach out to their loved ones and grieve together.”

Del Autor: "Yo quiero que este libro ayuda a ninos pequqenos con la muerte con un ejemplo. Quiero que los ninos se enspiran con este libro y hablan con sus familias asi para que saben que no estan solos.”

Pio written and illustrated by Roxana Gloria '25 Written in Spanish!

From the Creator: "Onwards and Upwards is a book about an older girl talking to her younger self. I learned a lot from my personal experiences and how I dealt with things that were hard. I wrote it specifically to show awareness and to be relatable with younger kids going through any changes. There are definitely many different ways to deal with these changes, but I went with talking through these hard things and to prepare for it."

Onwards and Upwards written and illustrated by Alice Aguilar-Rivera '25

From the Creators: "Shelly and Tony Learn to Listen is about a blue turtle named Tony who’s feeling a little sad. His friend, Shelly, wants to find out why but doesn’t know the best way to do so. Follow Shelly and Tony on their little adventure of learning to listen! We wrote this book because of how certain adults don’t understand that it is important to listen to others about how they feel.” Find the first book in the Tony series (written last school year) on our website!

Shelly  and Tony Learn to Listen written by Margarita Ramirez ‘25 and illustrated by Taylor Nichols '25

From the Creators: "Phi-Phi is Not Alone is a story for children who might struggle with making friends or just want reassurance that others have struggles like them. This story was written by a student with hearing loss and shares their struggles throughout childhood. We hope that with this book, others who had struggles feeling too unique might realize that we all have things to connect us.”

Phi-Phi is Not Alone written by Claire Bennett ‘26  and illustrated by Freya White ‘26

From the Creator: "I'm a young Mexican artist living in Utah. I wrote Prim Likes to Pick Flowers as a response to the anti-feminine sentiments being expressed by the young boys of my family back in Mexico. I believe that in order to fight back against bullying and bigotry, empathy must be a key value portrayed in children's media. Prim, to me, represents the feminine side of people that is often repressed. This book is meant to show what happens if that side is instead nurtured."

Written and illustrated by Maria Lopez-Sandoval '26

"We chose to write this story because we want to help younger kids connect with their culture. We want them to feel seen in their struggles with finding out how their culture is a part of them. The illustrations came from a place of wanting to represent many cultures with a lot of beautiful color. We hope the audience finds love for who they are." 

Written and illustrated by Tlanesi Astorga '23 and Sayge Merrill '25.

"The Wonders of You is a book about these three children who talk about how wonderful they all are, teaching kids about how to love themselves and learn how to encourage confidence in their friends as well." 

Written by Isha Madey '25 and illustrated by Clara Nguyen '25.

"A little turtle boy named Tony is outcast because of his blue shell, but soon he learns to accept himself."

Written by Margarita Ramirez '25 and illustrated by Eddie Memmott '25.