Book Review of Mrs. Gourd
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The Children’s Book Review
Mrs. Gourd
Written by Jody Bucher
Illustrated by Monica Violet Joy & Asha Butler
Ages: 4+ | 40 Pages
Publisher: Ingram Spark (2026) | ISBN: Hardcover: 979-8-9894987-1-0 Paperback: 979-8-9894987-0-3
What to Expect: Bedtime, imagination, stories, authority figure.
It’s bedtime, but the three little children don’t want to calm down and go to sleep—and Mom seems to be powerless to get them into bed.
Enter—Mrs. Gourd! Mrs. Gourd is nothing like Mom. She’s proper and persnickety, with a funny accent and a funny name—and some funny bedtime stories to tell. She won’t stand for any nonsense, but she will read bedtime stories until everyone is too sleepy to cause any more trouble. One story after another she reads, until all the boisterous kiddies are yawning and tucked up in their beds. When sleepless sillies abound, Mrs. Gourd will be there to save bedtime!
Every parent knows the despair of a bedtime that’s going badly wrong—and every child knows the delight of refusing to go to bed! In this fun and silly bedtime picture book, however, the kids have met their match, and Mom’s got an ally at last—the commanding but kind Mrs. Gourd. With just the right balance of silliness and sternness, Mrs. Gourd is like Mary Poppins made modern, and readers will enjoy falling under her spell as much as the children in the story do.
With its playful phrasing, musical rhyming language, and bold, cartoon-style digital illustrations, the text weaves some bedtime magic of its own, making this the perfect story for any mom who needs Mrs. Gourd’s wrangling powers for her own kids tonight!
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About the Author
Jody Bucher (Levar) learned to improv while tap dancing in her grandparents’ kitchen as a child. She has loved writing for as long as she can remember, but her life experience as a mom led her to write this, her first book. A working mom of three (a daughter and twin boys), she has channeled her artistic and linguistic talents as a brand-builder, copywriter, and creative director, but considers her children her greatest work of art. Originally from Ontario, Canada, Jody currently calls Richmond, Virginia, home with her husband, three children, two golden doodles, and Mrs. Gourd.
About the Illustrators
Monica Violet Joy is renowned for writing, creating, developing, and producing hits: Blues Clues, Bubble Guppies, CoComelon, Future Chicken, Go Dog Go!, Kamp Koral, SpongeBob SquarePants, Team Umizoomi, Wallykazam, Nimona, Ferdinand, Spies in Disguise, Ice Age V, and The Peanuts Movie. Her work has received Academy Awards, Annie Awards, and Women of Inspiration Awards.
Asha Butler is an acclaimed artist from Atlanta, Georgia. Asha holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Digital Animation from Kennesaw State University. She is an accomplished children’s book illustrator and animator.
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. This is a sponsored*, non-biased review of Mrs. Gourd. Learn more about getting a book review …
