Sometimes the hardest part of learning isn’t the lesson. It’s watching the rest of the class move ahead while you’re still trying to make sense of the first step.

A child may need to move, listen, look closer, or take a moment of quiet. Give them that chance, and the lesson that once shut them out can become the one where they surprise everyone—including themselves.

And so, one empathetic educator is turning that shift into a story that tells children: there is more than one way to learn—and yours belongs here, too.

Former Kindergarten Teacher & Children’s Author, Chloe Ito Ward, joins our John Masiulionis and Little Forrest on Episode #286 of PR From The Heart’s Children’s Books Spotlight Series to share her path from helping kids find their footing in the classroom to finding her own calling in children’s literature, the inspiration behind her new book All the Ways We Learn (published by Rise x Penguin Workshop), how her OCD and ADHD diagnoses helped her turn memories of classroom shame into a message of self-acceptance, why seeing different minds and needs reflected in books matters, practical ways families can help kids adjust to the early elementary years and advocate for their needs with teachers, and a sneak preview of her upcoming titles, Yuki’s Special Delivery (published by Peachtree) and My Mind Is an Ocean (published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster)—plus much more.

We encourage you, our friends and neighbors, to support Chloe by bringing home your copies of All the Ways We Learn—and enjoying this empowering read with your little ones: https://bit.ly/4jsdUu2.

Stay tuned for the next chapter in Chloe’s story—and pre-order your copies of Yuki’s Special Delivery: https://bit.ly/4ebgBNd. 📦

All the Ways We Learn
Text copyright © 2026 by Chloe Ito Ward • Illustrations copyright © 2026 by Yaroslava Apollonova. Used with permission. Published by Rise/Penguin Workshop. All rights reserved.

🖥️ Stay connected with Chloe:
🌐Official Website: https://www.chloeitoward.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ChloeItoWard
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591481346451