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Joy School: 22 Children's Stories to Teach the Joys of Honesty, Family, Your Body, the Earth, Goals, Sharing, Uniqueness, and More!
New York Times -bestselling parenting authors Richard and Linda Eyre teach the very best kind of character-building, freewheeling joy to kids with 22 illustrated stories. “Based on their preschool curriculum, the Eyres’ selected stories and poems each highlight one of many ‘joys,’...Short, simple tales and poems to instill value; they will be welcome in homes where the values presented are shared.”― Kirkus Reviews There is fun, there is even happiness, but then there is JOY! Each story in this anthology teaches one of ten essential values that are critical for healthy, happy Joy of the Body, Joy of the Earth, Joy of Honesty and Communication, Joy of Sharing and Service, Joy of Goals and Order, Joy of Confidence, Joy of Wonder, Joy of Imagination and Creativity, Joy of Family, and the Joy of Uniqueness. For decades, Richard and Linda Eyre, authors of the New York Times -bestselling book Teaching Your Children Values, have taught these joyful values to half a million kids through their highly acclaimed Joy School program. Now for the first time ever, these stories are available to everyone who wants to bring their kids the very best gift JOY!
96 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2020
1 person is currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Richard Eyre
104 books29 followersWriters, lecturers, and grassroots and media catalysts, Linda and Richard Eyre's mission statement: "Our vision is to FORTIFY FAMILIES by celebrating commitment, popularizing parenting, glorifying grandparenting, bolstering balance, and validating values." Their latest efforts in these directions are their new books (The Happy Family [St. Martins Press], Empty Nest Parenting [Bookcraft], and The Book of Nurturing [McGraw Hill]) and their regular appearances on The CBS Early Show. Richard's new book, The Three Deceivers: How our obsessions with ownership, control and independence are ruining the quality of our lives, will be published next year.
Richard is president of a management consulting company and a ranked senior tennis player. He was a "mission president" for his church in London, and a candidate for Governor of Utah.
Richard and Linda have nine children (one of every kind) and live in Washington, D.C. and Salt Lake City.
Richard is president of a management consulting company and a ranked senior tennis player. He was a "mission president" for his church in London, and a candidate for Governor of Utah.
Richard and Linda have nine children (one of every kind) and live in Washington, D.C. and Salt Lake City.
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October 13, 2025
Joy School is a collection of 22 short stories that teach values and ideas to children with the goal of helping them be joyful. The stories in the books are divided into themes of The Body, The Earth, Honesty and Communication, Sharing and Service, Goals and Order, Confidence, Wonder, Imagination and Creativity, Family, and Uniqueness. Each story includes discussion questions at the end and a rough idea of how long the story takes to read aloud. There are also stories called “happy or sad” which offer 2 routes through the story, allowing children to see how choices can have different outcomes. I like most of the stories, especially the ones that lean into SEL skills.
Each category highlights something different that helps make a well-rounded person.
Body stories: Highlight what about our bodies make us strong and unique and emphasize taking care of ourselves. They are geared around able-bodied children and may need some modification for disabled children to prevent them from feeling bad about themselves.
Earth Stories: Highlight taking care of our Earth and appreciating it.
Honesty and Communication Stories: Seem to highlight the need for connection and honesty, but don’t do it well. I feel this section could have been done better.
Sharing and Service stories: Highlights helping others and how this can make us feel. I really like how it connects our actions to our feelings instead of just being the thing we do. (We share because it helps others and make them feel good and that helps us feel good vs we share because we have to)
Goals and Order: Highlight the importance of setting and reaching goals as well as following laws. I liked the goal based story, but the ones about laws were not my favorite. I prefer to use the term rules and consequences vs laws and punishments, as not everything that occurs after breaking a rule is a punishment, and even “good” choices lead to a consequence of a sort. The Order stories are the ones I would modify the most.
Confidence Stories: Highlights feeling confident in ones choices and how our actions can affect our mood.
Wonder Story: This story highlights the importance of slowing down and noticing what is around us.
Imagination and Creativity: Highlights that everyone has different strengths and shows ways to use one’s imagination to stay entertained.
Family: Highlights the importance of family and caring for others. I believe this category also could have been done better.
Uniqueness: Highlights the value of being unique and having individual strengths.
Below is a short summary of each story:
Ben the Rich Boy (body, 10 min): Ben is a young boy who wishes to become wealthy. He visits 4 rich men and asks them how, but each explains that he is already rich due to something he can do that they can’t (run, see, make things). I really like this story.
My Body (two poems, body, 3 min): Like the title suggests, this story is actually two separate poems about the body. I love the first one, it is short and sweet and would be good for toddlers still learning their body parts. The second one is a bit longer and more descriptive. It does reference using arms for prayer, which I would change to a hug when working with non-religious students.
The Party (body, 5 min, happy or sad): This story is about a group of friend preparing for a party. On the sad route, each child makes a choice that leads to a negative outcome, which also leads to them missing the party. On the happy route, the child consciously chooses to make the positive choice, leading to healthy bodies and a happy party. I like the way that this story directly connects choices to consequences (not brushing teeth leads to tooth pain and a dentist appointment)
Ella and Stella (body & Earth, 5 min): This is the only story (poem) in the collection that covers two themes. Ella loves the earth and Stella loves her body. As they explore, Ella points out things she loves around them and Stella connects them to the body.
Earth Ernie (earth, 10 minutes): Ernie is a boy playing on Earth when a little purple alien appears and invites him to go visit his world. Ernie goes (without telling a grown-up) and they go to a purple plastic world. The king tells them that they had to make a new world because they ruined their old one. Ernie returns home with a new appreciation for his planet.
Liam Finds a Friend (Honesty and Communication, 3 min): Liam is a baby bird who has everything, a mom who feeds him, pretty feathers, and even knows how to fly. However, he is sad. He doesn’t know why, either. Then, a new family builds a nest and Liam meets a bird his age. He is no longer unhappy. I wasn’t the biggest fan of this one as it wasn’t very in-depth about why Liam felt his emotions. I wouldn’t use this as a stand-alone.
Isabel’s Little Lie (Honesty and Communication, 5 min): This story follows Isabel, who feeds her chicken dinner to the dog and lies about it. She has to keep telling lies to cover her tracks and her dog ends up very sick. Eventually she tells the truth. The story is then repeated without the lies and the dog is prevented from eating the bone before he gets sick. I like that this story highlights that telling a lie can often snowball into more, but it wasn’t my favorite.
Alice Learns About Sharing (Sharing and Service, 10 min): The title of this one is a bit misleading, instead of learning to share Alice chooses to donate some of her things to a new friend who does not have warm clothes for the winter or many toys. It’s a wonderful story about helping those less fortunate, it just needs a better title.
The Bears Save the Baby (Sharing and Service, 10 min): This story is little mash-up of Goldilocks and Rumplestiltskin. The three bears leave their soup to cool and go for a walk, coming across the little elf singing about how he is going to steal the queen’s baby if she doesn’t guess his name. The bears rush off to help the queen and a happy ending is had. A cute story, but extra discussion of “why we should do the help others” would be beneficial.
Zoud the Cloud (Sharing and service, 8 minutes): This poem follows Zoud, a new cloud who is very self-absorbed. Despite the wind suggesting that he help the desert, or the mountains, or a lake, Zoud refuses to share his rain. Eventually Zoud starts to feel yucky and lonely and chooses to share his rain. At the end, Zoud gets to collect more water and share it with the world. I like how this poem highlights that being selfish can lead to feeling uncomfortable and explains that he felt better when he shared.
Happy or Sad (Sharing and Service, 8 Minutes, Happy or sad): This story follows Ahmed through three days. Each day has a different choice to make about sharing or helping others. Unlike the other happy or sad stories, the choices in this one don’t lead to a specific ending, so you can mix and match choices. This story also highlights how the choices made Ahmed feel, which is important for SEL learning.
Jayden and the Magic Money (goals and order, 8 minutes): Jayden wants to buy a ticket to a magic show at school. Mom says he has to use his own money, but he is $3 short. He finds some nickels and Mom makes him a chart that shows how much he has to earn. He figures out ways to earn money and eventually gets his ticket. I like that this story shows Jayden finding different ways to earn money (inspiring creativity and independence) and the idea of using a chart to break goals down into bite-size steps (great for preschoolers).
Breaking and Keeping the Laws (goals and order, 10 min, happy and sad): This story follows Eli as he decides on following the laws or not throughout his week. Each choice leads to a different consequence. Although the choices don’t fully tie into each other, mixing them does not work well in this story.
Cheekey and the Laws (Confidence, 10 min): I think this story would work better under the goals and order category than confidence (or be used in both). We follow Cheekey, a baby monkey who lives in the jungle. As he makes various choices, he thinks about whether or not there is a law to follow and what the consequences could be. This is a good way to introduce thinking carefully before a choice is made.
Chloe’s New Mittens (confidence, 5 min): Chloe is at the store with her mom to get winter gear. Mom says she can have any mittens she wants and offers advice on the different pairs. Eventually Chloe picks out the perfect pair (of socks). Simple, short, and shows kids making their own decisions and being supported.
Maisy and Daisy (wonder, 5 minutes): Our only story in the wonder category, Maisy and Daisy are two chicks who are walking to school. Maisy likes to rush while Daisy goes slow and notices what is around her. On their journey, they want to make a bouquet for their teacher’s birthday. Daisy’s slow pace and observational skills help them find flowers, a ribbon, and avoid the storm. Good for highlighting the importance of slowing down and noticing things.
Lucy’s Imagination (Imagination and creativity, 10 min): Lucy is a little girl whose sister just went off to school. Lucy has to learn to play on her own (and soon with a dog). She uses her imagination and creativity to make up games and activities, including a way to make tidying up more fun. I loved this one.
Carlos the Squirrel (Imagination and Creativity, 5 min): Carlos is a squirrel who isn’t as fast or strong as the others but is very good at coming up with ideas. He has the idea to add wheels to the acorn box, so it is easier to move. A short and simple story highlighting that everyone has different strengths.
Fluffy Needs his Family (family, 8 min): Fluffy is a little goose who lives with his family and is very happy. During a storm, he gets separated and gets lost. He is very sad and confused until he finds a friend who helps him get home.
Peter’s Busy Family (family, 10 min, happy or sad): This story follows Peter, who lives with a very busy family. Each day something happens and the reader chooses whether his family is busy and he is alone or if they can comfort him/spend time together. I really did not like this story. I feel there are better ways to portray the idea that spending time with family/support from them can make you feel good. The idea of it being an option also could give kids the idea that “parents can choose to be less busy if they want too” which is often not realistic.
The Ping-Pong Ball and the Christmas Tree Bulb (Uniqueness, 5min): This is a classic story of 2 characters thinking the grass is greener on the other side, switching places, and regretting it. Although I understand the messaging behind these types of stories, I don’t care for them.
Unique Olivia (uniqueness, 10 min, happy or sad): This story focuses on Olivia and the differences she notices between herself and others. Each difference can lead to her feeling sad or confident. The choices in this one can be mixed up as there is no set ending.
My overall star rating was calculated by rating each story and averaging the scores. Rounded from 3.75 stars
Each category highlights something different that helps make a well-rounded person.
Body stories: Highlight what about our bodies make us strong and unique and emphasize taking care of ourselves. They are geared around able-bodied children and may need some modification for disabled children to prevent them from feeling bad about themselves.
Earth Stories: Highlight taking care of our Earth and appreciating it.
Honesty and Communication Stories: Seem to highlight the need for connection and honesty, but don’t do it well. I feel this section could have been done better.
Sharing and Service stories: Highlights helping others and how this can make us feel. I really like how it connects our actions to our feelings instead of just being the thing we do. (We share because it helps others and make them feel good and that helps us feel good vs we share because we have to)
Goals and Order: Highlight the importance of setting and reaching goals as well as following laws. I liked the goal based story, but the ones about laws were not my favorite. I prefer to use the term rules and consequences vs laws and punishments, as not everything that occurs after breaking a rule is a punishment, and even “good” choices lead to a consequence of a sort. The Order stories are the ones I would modify the most.
Confidence Stories: Highlights feeling confident in ones choices and how our actions can affect our mood.
Wonder Story: This story highlights the importance of slowing down and noticing what is around us.
Imagination and Creativity: Highlights that everyone has different strengths and shows ways to use one’s imagination to stay entertained.
Family: Highlights the importance of family and caring for others. I believe this category also could have been done better.
Uniqueness: Highlights the value of being unique and having individual strengths.
Below is a short summary of each story:
Ben the Rich Boy (body, 10 min): Ben is a young boy who wishes to become wealthy. He visits 4 rich men and asks them how, but each explains that he is already rich due to something he can do that they can’t (run, see, make things). I really like this story.
My Body (two poems, body, 3 min): Like the title suggests, this story is actually two separate poems about the body. I love the first one, it is short and sweet and would be good for toddlers still learning their body parts. The second one is a bit longer and more descriptive. It does reference using arms for prayer, which I would change to a hug when working with non-religious students.
The Party (body, 5 min, happy or sad): This story is about a group of friend preparing for a party. On the sad route, each child makes a choice that leads to a negative outcome, which also leads to them missing the party. On the happy route, the child consciously chooses to make the positive choice, leading to healthy bodies and a happy party. I like the way that this story directly connects choices to consequences (not brushing teeth leads to tooth pain and a dentist appointment)
Ella and Stella (body & Earth, 5 min): This is the only story (poem) in the collection that covers two themes. Ella loves the earth and Stella loves her body. As they explore, Ella points out things she loves around them and Stella connects them to the body.
Earth Ernie (earth, 10 minutes): Ernie is a boy playing on Earth when a little purple alien appears and invites him to go visit his world. Ernie goes (without telling a grown-up) and they go to a purple plastic world. The king tells them that they had to make a new world because they ruined their old one. Ernie returns home with a new appreciation for his planet.
Liam Finds a Friend (Honesty and Communication, 3 min): Liam is a baby bird who has everything, a mom who feeds him, pretty feathers, and even knows how to fly. However, he is sad. He doesn’t know why, either. Then, a new family builds a nest and Liam meets a bird his age. He is no longer unhappy. I wasn’t the biggest fan of this one as it wasn’t very in-depth about why Liam felt his emotions. I wouldn’t use this as a stand-alone.
Isabel’s Little Lie (Honesty and Communication, 5 min): This story follows Isabel, who feeds her chicken dinner to the dog and lies about it. She has to keep telling lies to cover her tracks and her dog ends up very sick. Eventually she tells the truth. The story is then repeated without the lies and the dog is prevented from eating the bone before he gets sick. I like that this story highlights that telling a lie can often snowball into more, but it wasn’t my favorite.
Alice Learns About Sharing (Sharing and Service, 10 min): The title of this one is a bit misleading, instead of learning to share Alice chooses to donate some of her things to a new friend who does not have warm clothes for the winter or many toys. It’s a wonderful story about helping those less fortunate, it just needs a better title.
The Bears Save the Baby (Sharing and Service, 10 min): This story is little mash-up of Goldilocks and Rumplestiltskin. The three bears leave their soup to cool and go for a walk, coming across the little elf singing about how he is going to steal the queen’s baby if she doesn’t guess his name. The bears rush off to help the queen and a happy ending is had. A cute story, but extra discussion of “why we should do the help others” would be beneficial.
Zoud the Cloud (Sharing and service, 8 minutes): This poem follows Zoud, a new cloud who is very self-absorbed. Despite the wind suggesting that he help the desert, or the mountains, or a lake, Zoud refuses to share his rain. Eventually Zoud starts to feel yucky and lonely and chooses to share his rain. At the end, Zoud gets to collect more water and share it with the world. I like how this poem highlights that being selfish can lead to feeling uncomfortable and explains that he felt better when he shared.
Happy or Sad (Sharing and Service, 8 Minutes, Happy or sad): This story follows Ahmed through three days. Each day has a different choice to make about sharing or helping others. Unlike the other happy or sad stories, the choices in this one don’t lead to a specific ending, so you can mix and match choices. This story also highlights how the choices made Ahmed feel, which is important for SEL learning.
Jayden and the Magic Money (goals and order, 8 minutes): Jayden wants to buy a ticket to a magic show at school. Mom says he has to use his own money, but he is $3 short. He finds some nickels and Mom makes him a chart that shows how much he has to earn. He figures out ways to earn money and eventually gets his ticket. I like that this story shows Jayden finding different ways to earn money (inspiring creativity and independence) and the idea of using a chart to break goals down into bite-size steps (great for preschoolers).
Breaking and Keeping the Laws (goals and order, 10 min, happy and sad): This story follows Eli as he decides on following the laws or not throughout his week. Each choice leads to a different consequence. Although the choices don’t fully tie into each other, mixing them does not work well in this story.
Cheekey and the Laws (Confidence, 10 min): I think this story would work better under the goals and order category than confidence (or be used in both). We follow Cheekey, a baby monkey who lives in the jungle. As he makes various choices, he thinks about whether or not there is a law to follow and what the consequences could be. This is a good way to introduce thinking carefully before a choice is made.
Chloe’s New Mittens (confidence, 5 min): Chloe is at the store with her mom to get winter gear. Mom says she can have any mittens she wants and offers advice on the different pairs. Eventually Chloe picks out the perfect pair (of socks). Simple, short, and shows kids making their own decisions and being supported.
Maisy and Daisy (wonder, 5 minutes): Our only story in the wonder category, Maisy and Daisy are two chicks who are walking to school. Maisy likes to rush while Daisy goes slow and notices what is around her. On their journey, they want to make a bouquet for their teacher’s birthday. Daisy’s slow pace and observational skills help them find flowers, a ribbon, and avoid the storm. Good for highlighting the importance of slowing down and noticing things.
Lucy’s Imagination (Imagination and creativity, 10 min): Lucy is a little girl whose sister just went off to school. Lucy has to learn to play on her own (and soon with a dog). She uses her imagination and creativity to make up games and activities, including a way to make tidying up more fun. I loved this one.
Carlos the Squirrel (Imagination and Creativity, 5 min): Carlos is a squirrel who isn’t as fast or strong as the others but is very good at coming up with ideas. He has the idea to add wheels to the acorn box, so it is easier to move. A short and simple story highlighting that everyone has different strengths.
Fluffy Needs his Family (family, 8 min): Fluffy is a little goose who lives with his family and is very happy. During a storm, he gets separated and gets lost. He is very sad and confused until he finds a friend who helps him get home.
Peter’s Busy Family (family, 10 min, happy or sad): This story follows Peter, who lives with a very busy family. Each day something happens and the reader chooses whether his family is busy and he is alone or if they can comfort him/spend time together. I really did not like this story. I feel there are better ways to portray the idea that spending time with family/support from them can make you feel good. The idea of it being an option also could give kids the idea that “parents can choose to be less busy if they want too” which is often not realistic.
The Ping-Pong Ball and the Christmas Tree Bulb (Uniqueness, 5min): This is a classic story of 2 characters thinking the grass is greener on the other side, switching places, and regretting it. Although I understand the messaging behind these types of stories, I don’t care for them.
Unique Olivia (uniqueness, 10 min, happy or sad): This story focuses on Olivia and the differences she notices between herself and others. Each difference can lead to her feeling sad or confident. The choices in this one can be mixed up as there is no set ending.
My overall star rating was calculated by rating each story and averaging the scores. Rounded from 3.75 stars
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