Ms. Rachel and the Special Surprise: Encouraging Speech and Learning Through Play and Music

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Ms. Rachel brings her signature teaching style to her very first book! Children will practice more than 20 important milestones—including gestures and speech—and sing their favorite songs as they help Ms. Rachel find a special surprise just for them.

Ms. Rachel is looking for something very special, and she needs your help finding it!

Using educational techniques from her beloved YouTube channel and threading them into an interactive story, Ms. Rachel shows kids and parents alike fun ways to engage and play!

While Ms. Rachel invites readers to open a series of imaginary boxes to see what’s inside, she guides them through exercises like pointing, waving, and call-and-response. Fans will recognize characters from their favorite videos, and everyone will join in on singing the lyrics to songs like “The Wheels on the Bus.” After the adventure ends, parents and educators can use the helpful tips included in the back of the book to assist with brain and language development.

Kids are sure to read and reread this new classic! There’s plenty to keep them delighted and engaged with their favorite teacher. And, as always, she makes sure they know just how special they are!

MS. RACHEL is a passionate educator who creates research-based videos to help toddlers and their families learn, bond, and thrive. Her videos infuse songs, games, and nursery rhymes with strategies from experts to help children reach key milestones in the crucial early years of learning. Rachel believes all children are capable, brilliant, and important. She loves learning from them and being around their contagious joy and wonder.

Rachel holds dual master’s degrees in early childhood development and music education. She is an advocate for children’s rights and works to ensure that all kids have access to high-quality early childhood education. Her wonderful little boy inspired the show and continues to inspire her work everyday! Her husband and creative partner for the show is Mr. Aron, aka HERBIE!

MONIQUE DONG loved drawing, imagining and creating as a child. At age 19, she headed off to the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa, where she studied animation at City Varsity and discovered the magic of storytelling! She has worked on animation for the Disney channel, including the project Florrie’s Dragons. Today, Monique is a freelance illustrator and her passion is creating images that encompass light, life, warmth, and color.