Jake loves to giggle. Kedi loves to cuddle.
Meet Kedi & Jake is a play-based, educator-rich picture book that helps toddlers and preschoolers (ages 2–5) understand love and kindness through everyday moments and practice them through guided play.
Meet Kedi & Jake: A Story About Love and Kindness
How do you teach a toddler what "kindness" really means?
Young children often hear grown-ups say, "Be kind" or "Show love," but these abstract concepts can feel
confusing without real-world context. Meet Kedi & Jake makes kindness concrete.
The Story
Follow Jake, a curious little boy, and Kedi, his gentle black cat with bright green eyes, as they discover what it means to care for each other. Through quiet moments, gentle touches, and simple choices, children see kindness in action, not as a rule to memorize, but as something they can feel and practice.
What Makes This Book Different
More than a read-aloud, it’s a screen-free, play-based learning experience. After the story, children continue through:
- "What We Learned Today": A reflection page that helps children and adults talk about the story
together
- Kedi & Jake's Caring Tips: Simple, repeatable actions for showing kindness to people and animals
- A Kindness Game: A visual matching activity that reinforces the lesson through play
- Pretend-Play Prompts: Guided scenarios that help children practice empathy and gentle behavior
Perfect For:
- Parents seeking meaningful bonding moments during storytime
- Teachers building social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula
- Caregivers looking for screen-free, activity-rich books
- Anyone who believes children learn best through exploratory play
Why Educators Love It
"What I love about your book, Lisa, is it is educator-rich. An educator could build an entire curriculum around your book." - Eric G. Reid, Marketing mentor
“The story is engaging and age-appropriate, with caring tips at the end that really resonate with young children.”- Barbara Taylor, Owner, Kids Kondo Atlanta
Meet Kedi & Jake provides everything needed to turn a single reading into multiple learning opportunities. The activities are designed to be repeated, adapted, and integrated into daily routines at home or in the classroom.
The Real Story Behind the Story
Inspired by the real-life bond between author Lisa Perlstein's son and their family cat, this book reflects authentic moments of connection that young children experience every day. It is a story about love that helps children understand what love actually is through play, observation, and practice.
Lisa Perlstein is the creator of the Kedi & Jake picture-book series, inspired by her son and their family cat. A former professor, she designs story-based learning experiences that support early social-emotional development.Her work weaves storytelling, play, and guided activities to help young children explore everyday values such as kindness, empathy, and honesty in ways they can understand and practice.
