Young precocious Gelli loves to play with her toys, but she never cleans after playing with them. When Daddy comes in one morning and trips on some blocks, he realizes that it is time to teach her a valuable lesson. He presents a magic toy chest to her and tells her not to open it until morning. Gelli is curious! What will happen if she opens the box? Gelli learns the importance of cleaning up after herself and from now on she vows to clean up her room after she plays with her toys!

Toddlers and children ages 2-5 will love this rhyming story with easy to follow and at times repetitive text. They will marvel at the illustrations and how it fuses real life objects with artwork. The story is relatable to any young child who truly despises cleaning their room. Gelli Belle and The Magic Toy Chest is a great way to explain the reasons why it is important to clean your room in a funny and unbelievable way. What young child wouldn't want their toys to come alive right before their eyes?

Parents and Educators will love this book because it teaches valuable lessons like the importance of cleaning up after oneself and most importantly following directions. The latter is a valuable lesson that will follow children into their adult life forever.

Vernae Bezear is a Literacy and Instructional Coach in the Bronx, NY. She holds a Master's Degree in Elementary Education and School Administration from Mercy College and a Reading Recovery Specialist certification from NYU. She has worked in education for almost 20 years, having taught 4th grade for 12 of them. Vernae is a wife and mother of two children (Donovan-11 and Angelica-2) who grew up as the eldest sister of eleven siblings. Vernae poured her vast experience with children and education into The Gelli Belle series as a fun means of teaching her daughter Angelica valuable lessons about life. Gelli Belle and the Magic Toy Chest is the first book of a series created to share those lessons with the world.