Daniel P Gillespie puts together children’s stories that kids can actually enjoy. With Judy the Bubble Gum Girl he shows a girl who loves science and keeps trying new inventions. She wants to win a bubble gum contest at the picnic and then uses what she makes to help a cat in a tree. Later she deals with a tough teacher using another idea. It is all about using your head and seeing that smart thinking really matters.

In the other book he tells what happens between Chandler and her caterpillar Oshee. Chandler finds him and learns they can share thoughts. She and her brothers make sure he stays safe until he can change into a butterfly. There is adventure when he disappears and they have to find him. Gillespie mixes in teamwork and caring without making it too heavy.

You can tell he likes writing these kinds of tales. They have humor and heart and they stay with the main points from the kids’ adventures. Both books feel like something you would read with your own child or that they would pick up themselves. He sticks to stories that entertain first and leave a nice feeling afterward.