Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers!
Today, we play host to a stop along The Children's Book Review AWARENESS TOUR starring a new Storybook that takes a hard subject to handle at any age, and gives readers a softer place to land during those hard times. Ladies and gents, let's take a closer look at this special title making its way into the published arena...
by
Illustrated by Alena Tkach
Ages: 4-6 | 28 Pages
9798990059412
Self-Published (2025)
About the book...
When Lil Shen loses her beloved grandmother, her world suddenly feels unfamiliar, quiet, and full of sadness. On a day filled with gray skies and heavy hearts, she receives a mysterious gift—an ordinary-looking stuffed bunny with extraordinary comfort to offer. Bunny Best, a soft companion stitched with love, becomes her guide through grief, helping Lil Shen remember, imagine, and feel all the feelings she thought she had to hide.
Tenderly told and beautifully illustrated, The Best Bunny is a story of loss, resilience, and healing. Through imagination and the memory of love, Lil Shen discovers that she doesn’t have to be “okay” to move forward. She has to do her best.
Inspired by author Shenandoah Chefalo’s lived experience in the foster care system and her work in trauma-informed care, this heartfelt picture book is an essential resource for families, educators, and professionals helping children navigate grief, big emotions, and life’s most complex changes.
🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇
I admit it. I cried my heart out while reading this one...to the extent that I had to STOP reading it and take a few minutes with my pupper to find my center again before I continued. That's the thing about grief, it hits you like a truck with no brakes whenever it darn well feels like it, and while my encounter occurred last year, it feels like only yesterday...but I digress.
Though the cover screams "enchanting tale of a girl and her bunny"...it is in fact enchanting, but not in the way it first appears. It's not a happy story, though there is movement towards happiness throughout and by book's end. It's not a whimsical story, though there is a talking bunny who becomes a close friend of our little leading lady. It's not filled with rainbows and butterflies, hugs and kisses, sparkles and unicorns, though it does remind us that those things still exist and will become easier to see as time goes by. This is a story about loss. It deals in grief, loneliness, feeling lost, and not knowing how to get beyond the moment. It draws you in with a cute cover, spares nothing as it renders you speechless with the topic being addressed, and handles your heart/feelings not with kid gloves, but with honesty, and tenderness, just the same. It's magical in the fact that it makes its message clear...one day things will get better, seem brighter, and bring joy, but it's different for everyone, and feelings of all colors need to be felt...without being clinical or sounding cliche. It's magical in the introduction of little Shen's "power", and yet makes it something that is able to be practiced by one and all. It's magical in letting Bunny Best show her true colors, and have a voice, when the one who helped her be where she was needed was unable to any longer.
All in all, it's a tender tale that takes us from the depths of heartache into the light of another day. It doesn't say things are fine, it says they WILL be. Grief is a process not something that can be glossed over, and it must be felt. Everyone is different, just as every relationship is different, so empathy is the key when trying to share the load with another. We can never truly understand someone else's loss any more than they can ours, but that warm heart, that shoulder to cry on, that ear to listen to us is more important than you might think. A great tool for adults to assist younger ones with this shared life experience, or even for adult readers that are still trying to process things on their own. The beautiful illustrations combined with the strong message of taking it one moment at a time create a story that won't be easily forgotten...nor should it be.
🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shenandoah Chefalo is a sought-after speaker, award-winning author, and expert trauma-informed specialist with more than 20 years of leadership consulting experience. As the Founder and Lead Strategist of Chefalo Consulting, she helps governmental, public, and private organizations integrate trauma-informed practices to create more effective and equitable systems.
Plagued and embarrassed by her name and shaped by a nomadic childhood filled with instability and loss, Shenandoah developed a tough skin early on. Her lived experiences—including foster care, poverty, and homelessness—taught her to navigate adversity, build resilience, and understand people deeply. These qualities later fueled her passion to transform broken systems.
After nearly two decades as a Law Office Administrator, Shenandoah became disturbed by the revolving door of people entering the criminal justice system. She pursued certification through Coach U and became a life coach—an experience that gave her new insight into her own trauma and the systemic failures she had endured.
Research into the U.S. foster care system revealed staggering statistics: over 400,000 children in care daily, 61% aging out without housing, 50% incarcerated within two years, and 80% of death row inmates having spent time in care. These revelations compelled her to share her story publicly and advocate for reform.
Her memoir, Garbage Bag Suitcase, confronts the hard truths of foster care while charting a personal journey of healing. Shenandoah is also the author of several best-selling e-books, including Setting Your Vision and Defining Your Goals, which help trauma-informed leaders implement change, build mental wellness, and strengthen communities.
Her newest book, The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best (releasing July 22, 2025), marks her debut in children’s literature. Inspired by her own childhood, the story models emotional resilience, compassion, and hope for young readers navigating their own challenges.
Shenandoah holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science from Michigan State University. She is a Core Essentials Graduate of Coach U, a Certified Law of Attraction Advanced Practitioner, a member of the National Speakers Association, and an active volunteer both nationally and internationally. She is also known for her expertise in social media marketing and is currently working on her next book, Hiking for Stillness.
For more information, visit chefaloconsulting.com/books.
🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇
GIVEAWAY
Enter for the chance to win one of ten hardcover copies of The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best. And for one extra-lucky grand prize winner, there’s a signed copy of the book, a snuggly Bunny Best plush, and an Amazon Gift Card.
🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇 💕 🐇
Special thanks to Bianca of The Children's Book Review for the chance to bring this title to you and for the ecopy for review! (THANKS!) This post is sponsored by Shenandoah Chefalo. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view. For more information on this author, her other works, the illustrator, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links above. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!
TOUR SCHEDULE
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Book Review of The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Book Review of The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Friday, July 25, 2025
Author Interview with Shenandoah Chefalo
Monday, July 28, 2025
Book Review of The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Book Review of The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Thursday, June 31, 2025
Book Review of The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Friday, August 1, 2025
Book Review of The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Monday, August 4, 2025
Guest Post about The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Author Interview with Shenandoah Chefalo
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Book Review of The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Friday, August 8, 2025
5 Special Books for Children About Losing a Grandparent
Monday, August 11, 2025
Book Review of The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
Instagram Post about The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Thursday, August 14, 2025
Book Review of The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Friday, August 15, 2025
Instagram Post about The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Monday, August 18, 2025
Book Review of The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Book Review of The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Thursday, August 21, 2025
Book Spotlight on The Best Bunny: Adventures of Lil Shen and Her Inspirational Sidekick Bunny Best
Friday, August 22, 2025
Author Interview with Shenandoah Chefalo
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
