Children's Books by Dana Lehman

Children's Books by Dana Lehman Award winning children's books that teach life lessons. Free lesson plans are available for each book at lehmanpublishing.com

Today’s adventure started with a box of books, a bag of ducks, and two excited boys.Jeremiah and Zane and I spent the af...
07/08/2026

Today’s adventure started with a box of books, a bag of ducks, and two excited boys.

Jeremiah and Zane and I spent the afternoon stocking a few Little Free Libraries and having fun spreading a little kindness. Along the way, we noticed a police officer sitting at the park, and the boys immediately started digging through our bag of ducks.

One duck looked like a superhero, which started a conversation about how police officers are kind of like superheroes because they’re always there when people need them. Even though ducking is usually something Jeep owners do for each other, we decided kindness doesn’t have to stop there.

The boys picked out a camouflage duck, we walked over and gave it to her, and her smile said it all. She happily took a picture with the boys and put the duck right on her dashboard.

After that, we finished filling the Little Free Libraries, and Zane even found a few books to take home for summer reading.

Sometimes the best days are the simplest ones. A few books, a rubber duck, and a reminder that a small act of kindness can go a long way.


Books are officially on their way 📚Reading through your nominations reminded me just how incredible teachers are. The lo...
04/04/2026

Books are officially on their way 📚

Reading through your nominations reminded me just how incredible teachers are. The love, patience, and impact they have on kids lasts far beyond the classroom.

Thank you to everyone who entered and helped me celebrate these amazing educators.

If you were tagged, your books are on the way. I can’t wait for them to be shared with your students!


In honor of March is Reading Month, every year I give away sets of my children’s books to elementary school teachers. If...
03/22/2026

In honor of March is Reading Month, every year I give away sets of my children’s books to elementary school teachers.

If you know a teacher who would love to add meaningful, character-building stories to their classroom, I’d love to bless them this month.

To enter:
Comment their name + tag me
Send me the school name, address, and grade they teach.
Must be within the continental U.S.

I’ll be announcing the winners on March 29th and tagging them here!

And if you know other amazing teachers, feel free to share this so we can reach more classrooms.

Throwback to when my boys were little.They actually inspired me to write my very first children’s book.At the time, I wa...
03/21/2026

Throwback to when my boys were little.

They actually inspired me to write my very first children’s book.

At the time, I wasn’t thinking about becoming an author.
I just wanted to create something meaningful for them. Something that would remind them how important kindness is and how we treat others.

But over time, it became so much bigger than that.

I started realizing, if my book could help even one child feel seen, or stop one child from being teased or bullied, then it was worth it.

That’s still why I do it ❤️

And with Easter coming up, my books are still available for $10 each through the end of the month 🐰
They make such a cute (and meaningful) addition to an Easter basket.

If you have littles in your life and want details, just message me.

March has always felt special to me because it’s Reading Month.I grew up loving Dr. Seuss. I still do. I saved all of ou...
03/07/2026

March has always felt special to me because it’s Reading Month.

I grew up loving Dr. Seuss. I still do. I saved all of our books from when my boys were little, and any time my nieces or nephews came over, I’d pull them right back out.

One that really stands out is Dr. Seuss’s ABC.

That book is how my boys learned their letters.

I still remember Joey looking at the page and saying,
“Aunt Annie’s Alligator… A! That’s an A!”

The rhyming.
The alliteration.
The repetition.

It sticks. That’s the magic of a good children’s book.

And honestly… I never would’ve imagined back then that one day I’d be the one writing books for kids.

In honor of Reading Month, I’m doing $10 per book on all Walnut Grove books for the entire month.

If you’d like a signed copy for your child, grandchild, classroom, or even to tuck away for Easter baskets, just message me and I’ll get you the details.

Books create memories.
And you never know which one a child will carry with them forever.


Every once in a while something pops up that takes you right back to the beginning. Today it was this newspaper article ...
02/01/2026

Every once in a while something pops up that takes you right back to the beginning. Today it was this newspaper article from The Times Herald in Port Huron from when I first published my books.

My first book came out in 2007, and seeing this is a reminder that nothing meaningful happens overnight. Every visit, every conversation, every small opportunity stacked up over time. Progress didn’t come from one big moment. It came from showing up again and again.

If you’re building something and it feels slow, keep going. Consistency compounds in ways you can’t see at first. Years later, you’ll look back and realize those small steps were everything.


I was going through folders today getting things ready for taxes and came across this stack of newspaper articles from w...
01/11/2026

I was going through folders today getting things ready for taxes and came across this stack of newspaper articles from when I first published my books.

School visits. Community stories. Local papers sharing what I was doing long before social media existed the way it does now. My first book was published in 2007, and finding these honestly stopped me for a moment.

Back then, getting your story in the newspaper felt huge. And it still matters to me, not because of the recognition, but because it reminds me that this journey has always been about connection, kids, community, and simply showing up.

It also made me think about how easy it is today to look at someone online and assume their success happened quickly. What you don’t see are the years behind it. The hours. The doubts. The quiet work when no one is watching.

I’ve sold a lot of books, but it didn’t happen overnight. It’s been a long, meaningful, amazing journey, and one I’m incredibly grateful for. I’m so glad I had the courage to step outside my comfort zone and pursue being a children’s author.

If you’re in the middle of building something, or just getting started, and wondering if your efforts really matter, they do.

Progress isn’t always loud. It’s built quietly. One story, one school visit, one yes at a time. And one day, you look back and realize just how far you’ve come.


Sometimes you don’t see the growth while you’re in it.Sometimes it shows up years later, standing in a room you never th...
12/20/2025

Sometimes you don’t see the growth while you’re in it.
Sometimes it shows up years later, standing in a room you never thought you’d belong in.

Reading to a preschool class recently had me reminiscing.
It took me back to the very first time I ever read my book out loud, to Danny’s kindergarten class, years ago. My first book was published in 2007, and back then, I never would have imagined where that step would lead.

If you would have asked me in college if I’d ever be a public speaker, my answer would have been a hard no. I remember speech class so clearly. I always volunteered to go first, not because I loved it, but because I just wanted to get it over with. I was nervous, uncomfortable, and counting the seconds until it was done.

Fast forward to today, and I find myself reading in classrooms, libraries, and rooms full of kids and teachers, not stressed, not rushing, but truly present and loving it.

Courage isn’t the absence of fear.
It’s doing the thing anyway, even when you’re scared, until one day you realize the fear doesn’t get to lead anymore.

Every time you do the hard thing, it gets a little easier.
And sometimes, the reward shows up years later, in ways you never could have planned.

If this resonates, I’d love to know…
What’s something you once did scared that helped shape who you are today?


I recently read Adventures at Walnut Grove: A Lesson About Teasing to one of the preschool classes in Armada, and it was...
12/18/2025

I recently read Adventures at Walnut Grove: A Lesson About Teasing to one of the preschool classes in Armada, and it was such a fun way to start the day. Those kids are just the cutest!

When Sammy was being teased in the story, the little girl sitting right in front of me said, “Well, that was rude.” Then a few more chimed in agreeing with her. It was one of those moments where you realize just how much kids really do understand kindness.

We talked about what an author does, what an illustrator does, and how stories are created. They asked how I came up with the idea, and I shared that it actually came from my mom telling me squirrel stories when I was younger. Watching their reactions and curiosity was the best part.

What made this even more special was the generosity of a local business right here in Armada. Miller Farms purchased a copy of the book for every preschool student in the school, over 130 kids, and also donated a full set of all four Walnut Grove books to each of the seven preschool teachers. All of the books were delivered today, and it was truly such a special thing to witness.

I am so thankful for businesses like Miller Farms that support literacy, kids, and our local community in such a meaningful way!

If you haven’t stopped by Miller Farms yet, they have beautiful merchandise and are a great place to shop locally. Whether you’re looking for gifts, porch pots, Christmas trees, or just want to support a great local business, they are definitely worth a visit. They’re located right here in Armada, on Romeo Plank.

And if you’d like any books, they are on sale for $10 each until the end of the year. Send me a DM if you’dlike to place an order.

Days like today are the reason I do what I do!


I wanted to share a fun little backstory from my early days of writing my Walnut Grove books. When I wrote my first book...
12/07/2025

I wanted to share a fun little backstory from my early days of writing my Walnut Grove books. When I wrote my first book, I didn’t realize until after it was published that there wasn’t a single female character in the story. I live in a house full of boys, so it just didn’t even occur to me until the book was done. That’s when I decided I wanted to add a female character to my second book, I Double Dare You.

Back then, Joey was in preschool, and I always heard moms telling their daughters that they were being sassy. I thought that would be the cutest name for a character. So my plan was to have Sammy’s cousin come to Walnut Grove and name her Sassy.

I was telling my friend Vanessa about it, and she said she had a squirrel named Silly. She thought it would be a great idea to have cousins come together named Silly and Sassy. I loved the idea and decided to use it. That’s how Silly and Sassy made their debut in my second book, and the kids have loved those characters ever since.

What makes this even more special is that after all these years, Vanessa shared the original photos of Silly with me. So here we are, all these years later, and I get to show you where that inspiration came from.

Just a fun little piece of my author journey to share today.


Address

Allenton, MI
48002

Telephone

(810) 395-4535

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