COMPASSION SERIES BOOKS

Below is a full list of The Compassion Series books. See individual titles for ebook and audiobook information.

Compassion Series Children’s Books

Pop-Pop’s Nursery Rhyme Parade
The Jellybean Kid
The Cardboard Shack Beneath the Bridge
It’s Hard Not To Stare
The Honour Drum
Am I Safe?
Make Way for the Christmas Hush

Compassion Series Adult Books
Bent Hope – print and audiobook
Dancing With Dynamite
The Yuletide Factor – print and audiobook

POP-POP'S NURSERY RHYME PARADE

POP-POP'S NURSERY RHYME PARADE

Written by Tim Huff
Illustrated by Tim Huff
Published by Castle Quay Books


Coming April 2024, Pop-Pop’s Nursery Rhyme Parade is the seventh book in the Compassion Series.

Embark on a whimsical journey with Pop-Pop’s Nursery Rhyme Parade, a collection of imaginative and joyful poetry for children. This unique compilation blends tenderness and cheer, weaving ageless messages of kindness, courage, goodness, and belonging. Children and grownups alike will find moments of humour and connection throughout. Vibrant hand-drawn illustrations complement the endearing storytelling. This timeless book is destined to be a gentle bedtime classic and an inspiring family and classroom read.

“Pop-Pop” Huff has a deep heart for a world where children and youth would truly know safety, comfort, gladness, and inclusion. This is reflected vividly by his lifetime of service among young people and families in the margins, and in the award-winning content of the multiple best-selling books he has authored, co-authored and illustrated, helping children look at life first and foremost through the lens of compassion. But what shines brightest in this latest offering is Pop-Pop’s warmth and gentle ways as a tender-hearted grandpa.

 


THE JELLYBEAN KID: A tender family-friendly story about a young boy's difficult health journey

THE JELLYBEAN KID: A tender family-friendly story about a young boy's difficult health journey

Written by Tim Huff and Margie Timpson
Illustrated by Tim Huff
Published by Castle Quay Books

Word Guild award winner for Best Children’s Book – Fiction, and Best Children’s Book – Non-fiction.

Sammy knows what it means to be brave. He is an ordinary kid who loves playing with his friends and family and would eat a whole bucket of jellybeans – if his mom would let him! But he is also extraordinary. He lives with complex health challenges.

Follow Sammy’s journey—a life full of joys and struggles, pain and comfort, love and hope. Along the way, meet Sammy’s family and friends, and the medical care givers in his world.

The Jellybean Kid is the sixth book in the Compassion Series, written for children and the grownups in their world to foster thoughtful, meaningful, and compassionate conversations in families, classrooms, and communities. The comfort guide will help you process the sensitive experiences unique to young people living with critical or chronic illnesses and other serious health issues. The guide also provides an insightful look at the experiences of those who lovingly care for them.

Guided by profound, shared real-life experiences, this tender book helps children and adults to better support families with a child experiencing chronic or critical illness, and nurtures understanding and compassion among those who have not journeyed the same road.

Inside you’ll find a link for the free download of “Gently,” Mike Janzen’s beautiful instrumental song commissioned and created for the Jellybean Kid project.

For best pricing and quick delivery, go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/thejellybeankid

To view and/or purchase all of Tim Huff’s books, go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/allbooks

 


THE CARDBOARD SHACK BENEATH THE BRIDGE: Helping Children Understand Homelessness

THE CARDBOARD SHACK BENEATH THE BRIDGE: Helping Children Understand Homelessness

Written and Illustrated by Tim Huff
Foreword by The Honourable Hilary M. Weston
Parent and Teacher Discussion Guide by Tim Huff
Published by Castle Quay Books

Word Guild award winner – Best Children’s Book, Best Seller

An award-winning best-seller and first book in The Compassion Series, The Cardboard Shack Beneath the Bridge offers the impetus for a dynamic and interactive elementary school program, and serves as a profound family resource, encouraging children to look at their world through the lens of compassion and understanding, rather than assumption, judgment or fear. Tim Huff addresses the complex issue of homelessness by combining tender and honest prose with bright and bold illustrations, complemented by the insights of his professional peers, educators and moms and dads.

“The Cardboard Shack Beneath the Bridge needs to be in the hands of every child!”
~The Ladybug Foundation

The Cardboard Shack Beneath the Bridge, and all of Tim Huff’s books, are available through most retail distributors in Canada and the U.S.A. – including Indigo, Chapters, Barnes and Noble, Baker and Taylor – and in 27 other countries around the world, including the United Kingdom and Australia. Also available in e-book format through Amazon (Kindle) and Apple (iTunes).

For best pricing and quick delivery go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/thecardboardshack/

To view and/or purchase all of Tim Huff’s books, go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/allbooks


IT’S HARD NOT TO STARE: Helping Children Understand Disabilities

IT’S HARD NOT TO STARE: Helping Children Understand Disabilities

Written and Illustrated by Tim Huff
Foreword by the Honourable David C. Onley
Parent and Teacher Discussion Guide by Jan Fukumoto
Published by Castle Quay Books

Word Guild award winner – Best Children’s Book, Best Seller

It’s Hard Not to Stare is the second book in The Compassion Series. In this book, Tim Huff addresses issues related to disabilities in this book, as he did homelessness in the first of the series, applying the same tender tone, with truthful prose and bright and courageous child-friendly illustrations. Tim believes that inviting children to look at their world through the lens of compassion will impact the way they care for and befriend people in their communities and beyond, and that when we nurture compassion in one area of life, the potential is great that this goodness will spill over into all other areas.

It’s Hard Not to Stare is complimented by a significant parent and teacher discussion guide written by Jan Fukumoto – a highly respected and uniquely qualified education leader, with three decades of experience almost exclusively with students with exceptionalities.

“Sometimes children’s simplest questions are the hardest ones to answer. But author Tim Huff invites them, no matter how sensitive the topic. It’s Hard Not to Stare acknowledges children’s curiosity about disabled people, while trying to instill compassion and understanding.”
~The Toronto Star

Click here for the accompanying Activity Guide.

It’s Hard Not to Stare, and all of Tim Huff’s books, are available through most retail distributors in Canada and the U.S.A. – including Indigo, Chapters, Barnes and Noble, Baker and Taylor – and in 27 other countries around the world, including the United Kingdom and Australia. Also available in e-book format through Amazon (Kindle) and Apple (iTunes).

For best pricing and quick delivery go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/hardnottostare

To view and/or purchase all of Tim Huff’s books, go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/allbooks


 

THE HONOUR DRUM: Sharing the Beauty of Canada’s Indigenous People with Children, Families and Classrooms

THE HONOUR DRUM: Sharing the Beauty of Canada’s Indigenous People with Children, Families and Classrooms

Written by Cheryl Bear and Tim Huff
Illustrated by Tim Huff
Parent and Teacher Discussion Guide by Cheryl Bear
Forewords by Ray Aldred (Cree) and Steve Bell
Published by Castle Quay Books

The Honour Drum is a uniquely envisioned and crafted project shared between two Canadian friends – an Indigenous woman from the west coast and a non-Indinegnous man from Ontario – to reach children, families and classrooms across Canada and around the world with a message of great beauty and truth that should not be ignored. This vibrant book is an important starting place for learning and insight that are vital and, for many people of all ages, overdue. The Honour Drum is a love letter to the Indigenous people of Canada and a humble bow to cultures around the world.

Cheryl Bear is from the Nadleh Whut’en First Nation community (Bear Clan) in northern British Columbia, Canada. Cheryl has visited several hundreds of Indigenous communities across North America. She is a multi-award winning singer/songwriter who shares stories of Indigenous life – the joy, sorrow, faith and journey. Cheryl joins award-winning and best-selling author/illustrator Tim Huff, with her profound insight and life experience, to craft this very special children’s book purposed to honour, respect, and share truth about the beauty of Native North American values and traditions.

The Honour Drum, just as all of Tim Huff’s books are, will be available through most retail distributors in Canada and the U.S.A. – including Indigo, Chapters, Barnes and Noble, Baker and Taylor – and in 27 other countries around the world, including the United Kingdom and Australia. Also available in e-book format through Amazon (Kindle) and Apple (iTunes).

For best pricing and quick delivery go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/thehonourdrum

To view and/or purchase all of Tim Huff’s books, go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/allbooks


Website Exclusive:
SPECIAL HONOUR DRUM COLOURING PAGES FOR CHILDREN: Click below to download two children’s colouring pages that you can print off and share with the children in your care and/or classroom. These are special illustrations by Tim Huff created to match the themes and visuals in The Honour Drum, that allow children to have fun colouring as they ponder the visuals and thoughts they have been introduced to in The Honour Drum: Sharing the Beauty of Canada’s Indigenous People with Children, Families and Classrooms.

Colouring Page 1
Colouring Page 2


 

AM I SAFE? Exploring Fear and Anxiety with Children

AM I SAFE? Exploring Fear and Anxiety with Children

Written by Iona Snair and Tim Huff
Illustrated by Tim Huff
Includes a Discussion and Activity Guide and special feature from singer Steve Bell
Published by Castle Quay Books

Am I Safe? is the fourth book in the Compassion Series, written for children and the grownups in their world. It offers a journey of understanding into the topics of fear and anxiety, landing in a place of empathy and courage. Complete with a discussion and activity guide, this tender and honest book invites parents, grandparents, and teachers to explore these important topics alongside the children in their care so they can discover how to stand well together. For an anxious child, this book can provide a place of validation and strength to stand against fear’s “bullying” power. For their friends and family, it can provide a window into the common experiences and impact of fear. And for all of us, it is a much-needed reminder that everyone needs someone to stand close by – even you, even me.

Am I Safe? Exploring Fear and Anxiety with Children, and all of Tim Huff’s books, are available through most retail distributors in Canada and the U.S.A. – including Indigo, Chapters, Barnes and Noble, Baker and Taylor – and in 27 other countries around the world, including the United Kingdom and Australia. Also available in e-book format through Amazon (Kindle) and Apple (iTunes).

For best pricing and quick delivery go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/amisafe

To view and/or purchase all of Tim Huff’s books, go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/allbooks


Am I Safe? Resources: Check out our Am I Safe? online resource hub for great follow up activities and articles about addressing fear and anxiety with children.

Colouring Pages: SPECIAL AM I SAFE? COLOURING PAGES FOR CHILDREN: Click below to download three children’s colouring pages that you can print off and share with the children in your care and/or classroom. These are special illustrations by Tim Huff created to match the themes and visuals in Am I Safe? that allow children to have fun colouring as they ponder the visuals and thoughts they have been introduced to in Am I Safe? Exploring Fear and Anxiety with Children.

Colouring page 1
Colouring Page 2
Colouring page 3


 

MAKE WAY FOR THE CHRISTMAS HUSH

MAKE WAY FOR THE CHRISTMAS HUSH

Written by Tim Huff
Illustrated by Tim Huff
Includes a fun and interesting Learn with Hush section & a special feature from jazz great Mike Janzen.
Published by Castle Quay Books

Make Way for the Christmas Hush is a timeless book for children of all ages. This vibrant and artfully crafted storybook knits together contemporary Christmas themes with traditional old-school charm. Readers quickly discover that the Christmas Hush is more than just a “what” but is likewise a “who.” While the lively story-telling and vibrant illustrations make this unique children’s book great fun, the true magic is in the tender reminder about the importance of quiet moments spent thinking of and caring for others and about the truest meaning of Christmas.

Follow adorable little Hush on his wild journey through a panorama of festive scenarios, meeting a host of characters along the way, like Hoopla, Frenzy, and Hustle and Bustle. It’s a fun and important adventure that guides children and grown-ups alike to create a special time and place set apart just for the Christmas Hush.

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Tim has spent his life combining his love of creative arts, writing, and music with social justice endeavours. He has been in full-time front-line social justice work for over 30 years, serving, learning, and teaching across North America and around the world.

Tim is a much sought-after national speaker in addition to a best-selling author of books for adults and an award-winning author-illustrator of children’s books. (Find a list of his books on pages 39 and 40!) Adding to his impressive resumé of leadership and service, Tim founded and leads Youth Unlimited’s Compassion Series program for children, youth, families, and classrooms—a unique hub of creative, interactive, and relational compassion-focused resources.

For best pricing and quick delivery, go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/thechristmashush

To view and/or purchase all of Tim Huff’s books, go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/allbooks


The Christmas Hush Resources: Check out our The Christmas Hush online resource hub for great follow up activities.

Colouring Pages: SPECIAL THE CHRISTMAS HUSH COLOURING PAGES FOR CHILDREN: Click below to download children’s colouring pages that you can print off and share with the children in your care and/or classroom. These are special illustrations by Tim Huff created to match the themes and visuals in The Christmas Hush that allow children to have fun colouring as they ponder the visuals and thoughts they have been introduced to in the book.

Hush Colouring Pages


 

BENT HOPE: A Street Journal

BENT HOPE: A Street Journal

Written by Tim Huff
Foreword by Michael Frost
Benediction by Steve Bell
Published by Castle Quay Books

AUDIO BOOK: Bent Hope audiobook available for purchase on iTunes and Libro.
Narrated by Tim Huff. Produced by Talking Book Library in partnership with Castle Quay Books.

Want to go deeper? Download our free Bent Hope Discussion Guide!

Multi Word Guild award winner, Best Seller

Bent Hope was born out of Tim Huff’s first twenty years of unique and extensive work among homeless and street-involved youth and adults, in one of North America’s largest urban centres – Toronto Canada. Bent Hope is a collection of thoughtful narratives birthed beneath crumbling bridges and in the hidden alcoves of darkened alleyways after midnight. These gripping true-life stories surface quietly from unforgiving corridors of fear, hurt and uncertainty – and unexpectedly and supernaturally transform them into places of intimacy and godly anticipation.

“Tim is a true champion for justice. He also happens to be a street poet, a missional activist, and a wide-eyed mystic who is able to discern the traces of God in the strangest of places. This book is an enticing exploration of redemptive grace-in action.”
~Alan Hirsh, author of numerous best selling books including The Forgotten Ways, and a distinguished international speaker and missional movement leader

Bent Hope, and all of Tim Huff’s books, are available through most retail distributors in Canada and the U.S.A. – including Indigo, Chapters, Barnes and Noble, Baker and Taylor – and in 27 other countries around the world, including the United Kingdom and Australia. Also available in e-book format through Amazon (Kindle) and Apple (iTunes).

For best pricing and quick delivery go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/benthope

To view and/or purchase all of Tim Huff’s books, go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/allbooks


 

DANCING WITH DYNAMITE: Celebrating Against the Odds

DANCING WITH DYNAMITE: Celebrating Against the Odds

Written by Tim Huff
Benediction by Sue Mosteller, C.S.J.
Published by Castle Quay Books

Winner of one of Canada’s most prestigious writing awards – The Grace Irwin Award, Word Guild Award winner, Best Seller.

In the follow-up to his best-seller Bent Hope, Tim Huff invites readers to join him on a soulful journey into a variety of worlds that most people would describe as painful, awkward, peculiar and even ugly; the very places where celebration happens least, but matters most. Dancing with Dynamite explores the unlikely triumph of the human condition when it’s realized for its splendor, rather than its frailties. Ultimately, it is a book about the godly art of acceptance, the miraculous impact of kindness, and the joy of truly belonging.

“A powerful and beautiful reminder to be attentive to each daily encounter, expecting to find rousing wonder around each and every corner. This book is meant to be read, sung and then lived.”
~Mike Janzen, renowned award winning jazz pianist, recording artist, composer and orchestral arranger

Dancing with Dynamite, and all of Tim Huff’s books, are available through most retail distributors in Canada and the U.S.A. – including Indigo, Chapters, Barnes and Noble, Baker and Taylor – and in 27 other countries around the world, including the United Kingdom and Australia. Also available in e-book format through Amazon (Kindle) and Apple (iTunes).

For best pricing and quick delivery go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/dancingwithdynamite

To view and/or purchase all of Tim Huff’s books, go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/allbooks


 

THE YULETIDE FACTOR: Cause for Perpetual Comfort and Joy

THE YULETIDE FACTOR: Cause for Perpetual Comfort and Joy

Written by Tim Huff
Foreword by Moira Brown
Benediction by Lorna Dueck
Reflection and Discussion Guide by Anne Brandner
Interludes by Steve Bell and Greg Paul
Published by Castle Quay Books
Winner of The Word Guild’s “Best Inspirational Book of 2015” Award

AUDIO BOOK: The Yuletide Factor audiobook available for purchase on iTunes and Libro.
Narrated by Tim Huff. Produced by Talking Book Library in partnership with Castle Quay Books.

The Yuletide Factor rises brilliantly to the challenge of following up Tim Huff’s previous best-selling and award-winning works, Bent Hope and Dancing with Dynamite, challenging the status quo and encouraging readers to look for, and become, “Christmas people” every day of the year. But make no mistake – this is a book that will be equally at home in a springtime picnic basket or on a summer dock chair, as it will in a December stocking hung by the chimney with care. Beyond its exhilarating collection of seasonal stories, The Yuletide Factor takes readers on a timeless journey, touching down when and where even nuances of the Christmas spirit leave indelible legacies, at the unlikeliest of times, and in the most improbable of places.

Prepare yourself for an unpredictable adventure in faith, an unapologetic summons for goodness, and a fascinating exploration of the human spirit.

“If you’ve ever wanted to celebrate Christmas all year long, now you can! Tim Huff’s powerful telling and retelling of the Christmas story, recounted through the lens of his own unique experiences and profound encounters with people living in the margins, will inspire you to share the timeless treasures of the Christmas spirit with others everyday, bringing comfort and joy to each encounter.” ~Miller Alloway, President of Marantha Foundation and Chair of Arrow Leadership International

The Yuletide Factor, and all of Tim Huff’s books, are available through most retail distributors in Canada and the U.S.A. – including Indigo, Chapters, Barnes and Noble, Baker and Taylor – and in 27 other countries around the world, including the United Kingdom and Australia. Ebook available through Amazon (Kindle) and Apple (iTunes).

For best pricing and quick delivery go to compassionseries.com/purchase/theyuletidefactor

To view and/or purchase all of Tim Huff’s books, go to: compassionseries.com/purchase/allbooks