This was a very cute children's book with an important message. It focuses on reminding kids to be nice to themselves and promotes positive self-talking which isn't something that gets mentioned and taught enough in my opinion. Instead of focusing on teaching kids to be nice to others (although of course that is mentioned) of which there's already a lot of books to do that, it focuses on trying to make kids happier with themselves and to stop saying mean things about themselves. In turn that will also probably make them nicer to others because they'll be happier children.
With only two named characters - a cranky squirrel called Joey and Ralphy the dog - it's really easy for children to follow and with the simple illustrations in the centres of the pages they don't look cluttered and overwhelming. The illustrations are really beautiful, with such cute animals.
Definitely a great one to read with your kids for a happier childhood and a skill that they can then carry over into adult life too having been talk at a young age.

📱E-Book Review📱

Ralphy's Rules for Living The Good Life
Talar Herculian Coursey

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This is such a lovely book to share with your little ones.

Joey is a grumpy squirrel and Ralphy helps him out by teaching him some rules that will help him to live a happier life.

This book teaches us to be kind - not only to others but also to ourselves.
Everyone feels like they're not very good at things sometimes - but what we forget, is that we are amazing at other things that we don't give ourselves credit for.

I think that we, as adults, are just as guilty at this - and if our children see us talking down to ourselves, then they will soon pick up on that and copy us.
This book helps us to learn too.

The font used was nice and clear. Too many words for very young or beginner readers, but it's lovely to still be read to even when learning. There were also some bold words and phrases that could be discussed and pointed out to those learning.

I loved the characters and their illustrations. The pictures were clear and simple and I loved how cute Joey and Ralphy were.

Maybe Ralphy and the gang could make this into a series of books for children to collect and keep sharing.

My four year old and I enjoyed this cute book about Ralphy’s rules. The rules are important for children to learn. My son enjoyed the illustrations and the simple white background helped to make the text stand out. I could see teachers using this as a book in their classrooms.

Ralphy's Rules for Living the Good Life is an adorable little story about a grumpy squirrel named Joey. One day, he meets a happy dog named Ralph in the park. Ralph teaches him about 'Ralphy's Rules' which will help Joey be happier. These rules will help Joey see things in a different light, to be kind to others and to himself, not to take things personally, and to be brave.

These are wonderful 'rules' that all kids can use to live a happier life and to learn to be nice to themselves and to others!

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for my honest review on the book!

Cute picture book using a puppy to show kids how to live a good life. I enjoyed it as an adult. I do think kids will love it.

This book was so adorable, I loved everything about it, the illustrations were so well done, they suited the book perfectly, the story was amazing as well, even thought is very short I could really connect with the characters and feel theirs struggles.
I’m sure the kids are going to be just as enthralled with this amazing book as I was.
I will definitely recommend!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this early copy

Ralphy's Rules for Living the Good Life really are a set of words to live by - and the earlier in life you learn them, the happier you will be!

Joey is a cranky squirrel. It's not that he wants to be a grouch. But he is so harsh in the way that he speaks to himself, and is so quick to remind himself of all the things that he is supposedly bad at, that it's no wonder that he's so unhappy.

When Joey meets a happy dog named Ralphy in the park, he is soon introduced to the cute doggy's tips on how to live life in order to be happier.

This is a lovely book for children, with an important message. The illustrations are appealing and expressive, and I would give the book kudos for getting the job done - namely, sharing wisdom and providing entertainment at the same time!

I thought this was a cute story about living a happier life. A squirrel who is having negative self thoughts meats Ralphie, a happy dog who teaches him his rules for "living the good life" and turning negative thoughts and situations into something positive. The story and purpose was good, but the illustrations could have been a little better as most of the pages looked the same and didn't keep my dughter super interested.

I love that there is a book for young children with the massage "you can do hard things". I think this is a valuable lesson for kids to hear and the book is enjoyable for the young age. I will be buying this for gifts.

This is a cute book that helps spread an important message in a beautiful and heartwarming way. About being kind to ourselves, and realizing how wonderful we can be. Also not to take things personally, and to be brave- especially when trying new things.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the ebook of Ralphy's Rules for Living The Good Life.

I read this to my 4 year old and I found it really impressive and simple in a way that helped him understand the message of the story.
Ralphy the dog living by these three rules is a lovely way to teach children to be kind, to not take everything personally and to be brave.
We thought Ralphy did an excellent job with his advice to Joey.
This is a cute book and the illustrations are a lovely touch.

This is a book every child should read or have it read to them many times. Ralphy is a happy dog who lives by three rules. He helps his new friend Joey the squirrel learn the rules and be a happier squirrel. The rules are simple to understand. While they may not be easy to follow all the time, Ralphy explains that is ok and it will take practice. Ralphy's rules will help anyone, young or old, be happier and give them confidence. I think this is a wonderful book school counselors can use to teach students. Parents can also read with their little one and it can open the door to discuss things that may be bothering them. A simply wonderful book!!

This children's book is about being kind to ourselves, and realizing how wonderful we can be.
It's a nice short book that can open up great discussion between parent and child on how to love ourselves and appreciate all the amazing things that they've done.
The illustrations were simple and cute, but there was lots of white space on most of the pages which gave it an unfinished feel. I read this book to my 4-year-old, who lost interest a few times through the story, so I would suggest it be for a slightly older child. All in all, I loved the idea for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Purple Butterfly Press for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the eARC! This book teaches young readers that we need to believe in ourselves. and we can do hard things. If we don't get it the first time around, try again. The second rule is to not take things personally, and third one is to be brave- especially when trying new things. One thing I would change about the book is the illustrations. The illustrations are lacking a background- I think this would make the pictures look complete.

This book was a fun one to read! I particularly enjoyed "Don't be a TyrantoCrankaTsuris."

The illustrations were fun and the idea was unique for a picture book, with Ralphy's Rules being a kind of focal point of the story. It was a nice story with simple but cute illustrations.

"Don't be a TyrantoCrankaTsuris."

Good advice for us all, child or adult. In fact, I couldn't help thinking as I read that this info should be required reading for many adults. As it is, it's obviously designed to be read aloud by adults, so, hmm, maybe perfect.

I liked the use of two animals almost any child would be familiar with, a squirrel and dog. Joey the cranky squirrel meets the perky, smiley Ralphy one day at the park and his life changes. I wonder how long it took him after the last page to figure out that Ralphy was just practicing his own good advice. The drawings are quite simple with no distracting backgrounds, so the focus remains on Joey and Ralphy, who appears to be a spaniel type. He's wearing a collar so one must assume he has humans (who never appear) somewhere who love him. The colors are basic and young children should enjoy the idea of critters doing very human things like playing soccer and riding a bike, not to mention getting hugs from those who love Joey. Remember, the target audience is children, so the simplicity works well.

Thanks #NetGalley and #PurpleButterflyPress - #IBRA for introducing me to Ralphy. My own Daisy dog gets quite cranky at the local squirrel, so maybe I need to read this to her.

This illustrated book is a quick and easy read for kids, with some valuable life lessons given through a cast of cute characters. Both the dog and the squirrel are adorable. The rest of the animals too. The concept is strong and noteworthy. However, I think the book would benefit from further polishing design-wise, with more background colors and motifs or contouring (I don't know the technical term), something to fill all this white space on so many pages, giving a "blank" or "empty" look that felt like an unfinished design. Regardless, good job on this piece and best of luck!