New Children’s Book ‘Mocha, the Ground Fairy’ Follows a Guinea Pig Determined to Fly

Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk

Dr. Leslie Merida-Gonzalez has published a new children’s book, "Mocha, the Ground Fairy," through Fulton Books. The story follows Mocha, a brown, fluffy guinea pig who attempts to fly using wings built from leaves and twigs, only to land, each time, skidding on her bottom, which earns her the teasing nickname from her fellow guinea pigs.

Merida-Gonzalez is a music teacher in Port St. Lucie, Florida, where she works with children with varying needs. She holds a doctorate in education with a focus on exceptional student education, a background she says shapes how she thinks about reaching different kinds of young readers. According to the announcement, the guinea pig characters in the book are drawn from pets her own children had growing up.

The book centers on Mocha’s refusal to quit despite ridicule from her peers, drawing courage, in the story, from her grandmother’s fairy tales. "Through Mocha’s journey, I wanted to remind children that falling doesn’t mean failing," Merida-Gonzalez said in the announcement. "Every stumble is simply another step toward finding the magic that’s been inside them all along." The publisher describes the book as aimed at encouraging children to keep trying after setbacks and to embrace what makes them different.

"Mocha, the Ground Fairy" is available in bookstores and through major online retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and the Apple iTunes Store, as well as directly through Fulton Books’ website.

Studio CarryOnHarry sees stories like Mocha’s as part of a steady stream of small-press children’s books built around a simple, repeatable idea: a animal protagonist, a visible flaw, and a lesson about persistence. The appeal isn’t novelty, it’s execution, and that’s worth watching for in any read-aloud picture book pitched this way.

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