What Readers Are Saying

“The Growly Books is one of the best children’s series I’ve come across in years. These books are full of fun, family adventure which offer our children uplifting life lessons – all wrapped up in an engaging story. Delightfully illustrated, they make for fabulous chapter books for your new reader, or wonderful read alouds for the entire family. Highly recommended.

“A charming children’s series – at long last!”

“It’s wholesome family reading at it’s best, and it’s also illustrated beautifully … The vivid descriptions make it easy to imagine exactly what’s happening in the story. It’s a great book to read to your 4-7 year old, and children 8-11 would enjoy reading it on their own. We can’t wait to read what happens next to Growly! It’s sure to be adventurous.”

“This morning I overheard my eight year old son excitedly telling the other all about Growly and his first journey. I know this is meant to be a children’s book, but I also found myself turning the pages faster and faster as the bear’s adventure continued. Our family can’t wait for book two!”

“I was captivated by a mastery of words that weave adventure, family values and an amazing story line! We will be adding The Growly Bear books to our family classics shelf and pulling it down to read for many generations to come. I have become attached to characters in this story and had a hard time setting the Begin book down. Once you are pulled into the dense forest, the rushing waters, or the hearts and lives of each character, there is no turning back!

Begin was written for everyone and will capture the attention of even the most serious reader. You will find real-life lessons tucked into each chapter that will take you by surprise, but will stay with you long after reading. Please tell me there is another Growly Bear book coming soon?”

“Oh my goodness! We just finished the 3rd book. My oldest son and I sobbed through the last several chapters!! He said, “Wow! I didn’t know a book could do that to you!” I loved hearing that as I have worked to get him to enjoy reading. I homeschool our 4 kiddos and we are all eagerly anticipating the next book! Hoping it is soon! We will be telling everyone about these books and giving them for Christmas!!!”

“We LOVE Growly, Chippy, and the whole gang! This is our favorite family read-aloud – full of adventure, character, charm, and just overall good story. I love it so much I’ve bought a second set of books to loan to friends!”

“A great story with themes of determination, perseverance, loyalty, friendship, and family … all things that we want to reinforce with our children. A wonderful adventure that has hooked all of us.”

“A beautifully descriptive book that I have really enjoyed reading aloud to my 8 year old son. The characters are endearing, we love how they work together and encourage each other.”

“I have searched high and low for a read-aloud book that would be appropriate, fun, captivating, and enjoyable for my boys, ages 4 and 7. Most books either had chapters that were too long, stories that were too slow, or concepts that were hard for them to picture in their heads. A blogger I love recommended these books. Right away, my boys were so interested in Growly. The adventure story is perfect for a boy’s heart, and the chapters are the perfect length. The story is just advanced enough to keep them guessing at the next chapter without being over their heads. They talk about Growly a lot – wondering out loud what will happen to him next. These books are so enjoyable and totally appropriate – great messages about life, family and friendship.”

“We are so thankful to have found this book! How delightful to read such a wholesome book – NEW wholesome books seem so hard to find! Our daughter and son absolutely LOVE Growly and his adventures. Thanks for writing such a special book, that we hope will be loved by many more! We can’t wait for the next one in the Growly series! It has been such a special time for our family reading this book together!”

Our family has thoroughly enjoyed the Growly series. The story is FUN, filled with adventure, and also exciting twists and turns. Our children loved reading Begin. Then they couldn’t wait for Widewater to release! They have been re-reading both books now, and are eagerly awaiting the third installment in the series.

“Bravo to the Ulrichs! You have hit a home run! Families everywhere have been looking for engaging, wholesome reading material for our children, and this meets the need ~ beautifully!”

“I bought this for my 10 year old son and he absolutely loves it! Great, fast moving plot full of adventure. He is now on book three in just two weeks and is very excited to start!”

“I love it.  Absolutely love it! The Growly Book’s first installment, Begin, smacks of friendship, family, adventure, and the knowledge that oftentimes the best moments in life are the things to come that we can’t quite imagine. My kids begged for “just one more chapter” each time we opened the pages. Delightful in every way, Growly is already carving his place into history alongside other classic children’s tales. For Phil and Erin Ulrich, this truly is the beginning, and we cannot wait to follow along!”

“What a wonderful world these authors have created! I was looking forward to reading this book with my 3 boys, but it was even better than I had expected. Not only did my boys enjoy it, but I honestly looked forward each day to reading it for myself! I often asked my boys if they wanted to read one more chapter just to soothe my own curiosity. Begin is an adventure for all ages. It will keep the attention of an older child (like myself), but the content is appropriate for all ages, too. I am about to order Growly’s next book, Widewater, because ‘my boys’ can’t wait to see what happens next!”

“The very first night I started this book with the boys, it received the highest compliment it can get from them: ‘Keep reading, Mommy!’ And that went on chapter after chapter until we had read for much longer than any of us had planned! The characters, the setting, the adventure – we are all enthralled and can’t wait for more!”

“We began reading Growly the night before we left for a short vacation. When I was packing the car all of my children sought the ‘book bag’ we carry on trips to make sure Growly was in it. All of my children (ages 6, 10 and 11) have been enjoying this book daily and look forward to reading it every night. One night while I was reading it, I had to cut my reading time short, as I was not feeling well. My oldest son picked up the book and continued reading to his siblings. Every night, after we read approximately 3 chapters, the children beg me to read more. This is truly a must have for all homes. The vocabulary is fantastic and will grow your children’s knowledge and your own. It is unlike other children’s books in that the descriptive words are not words you commonly find in other children’s books. I love that – books that grow our home and create a beautiful time of learning and adventure – it’s a hit for boys and girls!”

“As a homeschooling, book-loving family we read a lot of books. We enjoy read alouds all together at the start of our day and again before bed. With a 10yr old boy and 7yr old girl I try to cover a wide variety of interests. This book was a perfect fit for everyone. The story is rich in characters, plot depth, adventure, friendships, imagination, and so often leaves us on the edge of our seats. We couldn’t put it down! The characters are already a part of our regular conversation and we have frequent conversations about what we anticipate happening next. We are halfway through book 2 and hope for many more ahead. Thank you for a wonderful series for families!!”

“One of the biggest complaints I get from my patrons is that their children are reading above reading level but can’t find appropriate books. They can’t seem to find books that appeal to their young reader that will challenge them without introducing content that they aren’t ready for. Well, The Growly Books by the Ulrich’s are the answer!

“Begin is full of suspense, with surprises around every corner. It’s a great adventure novel that would definitely appeal to the imagination of young readers and younger listeners. The sweet and whimsical illustrations speak to the nature of the characters and the spirit and tone of this chapter book. While the reading level of the book is perfect for the 8-12 year-old range, it’s an excellent choice for younger readers who are looking for books above their age’s reading level with safe, fun and interesting content. An excellent choice for a family read-together, with plenty of opportunities for discussion about the choices we make in life and where they lead.

“Growly, Chippy, Ember, and the other creatures have great potential to join the ranks of the many beloved book characters we all cherish. Take your family on this adventure with Growly and the rest of his gang!”

“My family had an amazing ‘family reading time’ with this book! We were reading 4-5 chapters a night at first, but then slowed down to read along with the “summer reading party” put on by the Growly books. It was also fun to be reading with a “community”. I have to admit, though, that I read ahead of the reading party because I was so curious to find out what would happen! Even now that we are finished reading Begin, my girls ask every night to read about Growly and I have to remind them that we have to wait for the next book to come out! Can’t be soon enough …”

“My daughter and I started reading this together before bed the other night and she instantly talked me into reading “just one more chapter”! After about 3 or 4 chapters with her, I picked it up and read it straight through for myself! It’s a sweet story, creative in setting, full of fun adventures and ends with me wanting the 2nd one to come out soon! It’s simply a good story with great adventure and a lovable hero. Plus, the illustrations are super adorable!”

“After just a couple of chapters in, my 11 year old daughter devoured the book during her own quiet reading time. She loved it. I love it! It is a very sweet story of a bear heading off on an adventure. It paints a wonderful picture of family, rites of passage, curiosity, support, heritage, family history, and friends which all shape Growly and his own curiosity. We look forward to the next book in the series to see how the rest of the adventure will unfold. Love the illustrations and details which shape the story.”

“I started reading this to my boys the day I received my free review copy PDF. Just one chapter in and they were hooked. Not wanting me to stop, I read to them through baths and teeth brushing, we read through lunches and after dinner. We read without stopping, because they wanted more. This book moves along at just the right pace, and the descriptive details are perfectly seasoned, making the reading rich, but at an age appropriate level. Besides the beautiful writing and captivating story, the book also contains the most spectacular illustrations, done by the amazing Annie Barnett, of Be Small Studios. Annie’s drawings, paired with the Ulrich’s writing, bring Growly and the other characters to life, beautifully enriching the reading experience.”