For Libraries & Educators

The Guacamole Gang is a Kirkus "Get It" and BookLife Editor's Pick. It’s a read-aloud built for story time, circle time, and social-emotional learning.

The Book

The Guacamole Gang

Written by “Papa Will” (Will Van Leuven) Illustrated by “Auntie Amy” (Amy Laird)

Ages 3–7 · 40 pages · Children’s Picture Book

ISBN: 9798995774907 · Trim size: 8.5” x 8.5” · Retail price: $17.99

Publisher: Food Friends Media (an imprint of VL Concepts LLC)

Available through Ingram for library and school orders.

Themes: Friendship · Teamwork · Belonging · Inclusion

Curriculum fit: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) · Music appreciation · Read-aloud · Cooking/STEM

Classroom & story time connections

  • Social-Emotional Learning: teamwork, belonging, and the idea that every voice adds something the group needs.

  • Music: instruments, rhythm, and a singable closing song.

  • Cooking / STEM: follow the real guacamole recipe and talk about how separate ingredients combine into something new.

  • Language & Literacy: rhyme, rhythm, and expressive read-aloud.

The Guacamole Gang follows six food characters who form a band and discover that everyone's contribution matters. The story supports early conversations about friendship, inclusion, and teamwork. concepts central to social-emotional learning curricula for early elementary and pre-K classrooms.

Author visits

Will Van Leuven is available for in-person and virtual author visits for K-2 classrooms and library story time programs. Visits typically include a reading, a short discussion of how the book was made, and information about the characters.

To schedule: will@guacamolegang.com

ORDERING

Available through Ingram — standard wholesale terms, returnable.
For bulk orders, classroom sets, or author-visit inquiries: will@guacamolegang.com
ISBN: 9798995774907

Reviews

★ Kirkus Reviews — "Get It"
Selected for the November 1, 2026 print issue of Kirkus Reviews.

"A fun little tale of music, food, and friendship… Auntie Amy's two-page-spread illustrations are busy yet uncluttered, capturing the brightness and vibrancy of Latin American culture."
— Kirkus Reviews. Read the full review

⚡ BookLife Reviews — Editor's Pick (reviewed by a Publishers Weekly reviewer)

"Charming illustrations bring these anthropomorphic ingredients joyfully to life… the rhyming, songlike prose [makes] readers feel like they are part of each scene."
— BookLife Reviews Read the full review

Discussion questions for read-aloud:

  1. At the start, Javier plays alone and only the breeze hears him. Have you ever wanted someone to share something with? What did you do?

  2. The band's first practice is chaotic and out of sync. Instead of giving up, what do they do? Why is it brave to keep trying?

  3. Every member of the band brings something different. What do you bring to your class, team, or family that no one else does?

  4. The band combines to make guacamole. What would your friend-group's recipe be called?

A book with a mission

The Guacamole Gang is a book about sharing, and it puts that idea into practice. 5% of sales revenue from The Guacamole Gang will be donated to No Kid Hungry, supporting their mission to end childhood hunger in America. When your library or classroom adds the book, it helps feed children too.