Review of "AMB Kids Books" by Amber Berkowitz

Score: 96/100 (9.6 out of 10)

Where do we even begin? Amber Berkowitz is a phenomenal human being, a passionate and talented author, and now she's put that all together in the form of this remarkable children's book/children's educational brand!

We love it!

When it comes to children's book brands, we've come across a lot of gems: Story Monsters, Once Upon a Dance, WickWick (Tuula Pere's brand), Leigh's Wheelie Adventures (Charlene McIver's series), Cora Can series (by Sally Kashner), Miki Taylor's Bentley series, and Saratoga Springs Publishing. These are all multi-time award-winning children's book brands.

Well, AMB Kids Books, created by Amber Berkowitz, belongs in that conversation of elite children's book publishers! Berkowitz puts it all together: her own magnetic personality and the undeniable charm and appeal of adorable characters like Gigglet, the incredible main protagonist of Berkowitz's flagship series!

Gigglet is Pikachu-levels of cuteness, charm and charisma!
As soon as we see her, we know we're looking at a Berkowitz work.

And Berkowitz has a vision that she executes with so much undeniable passion: appearing in costume as Gigglet (visiting schools and parties), offering Gigglet plush toys, Gigglet plush party dresses, Baby Wigglet plushies, and more! This is more than just a book brand, this is something more.

Oh, and by the way, all of these things are incredibly reasonably price (the custom plushies, which usually cost the maker a lot, are only $25) and appear to be very high quality just like the books! The Gigglet plush toy look so adorable and intricate with cute eyelashes, ears, pink blushing cheeks, a gleeful expression, a pink bow, pink dress, and big piggy feet to help her stand up on a desk or shelf. Children will love her! They'll also love the Baby Wigglet plush toy with the three little hairs on his baby piglet head (nice touch!) and bright blue eyes. All of these have a positive, cheerful, happy expression, which is contagious. Like with the books, it's impossible not to smile when you see them.

Speaking of the books... those are the heart and center of this brand! And all the ones we've read have been oh-so-lovely!

These books exude positivity and light, things which children need in their lives. They really lift your spirits!

Let's go through a few of them—Outstanding Creator Award-winning children's books!

Let’s start with Gigglet Goes to School.
We LOVED Gigglet Goes to School!

And here’s the funny thing: we didn’t love it because it was trying to be the biggest, deepest, most groundbreaking children’s book ever written. We loved it because it is simple, sweet, adorable, comforting, and full of light.

Sometimes that is exactly what children need.

Honestly, sometimes that is exactly what adults need too.

After reading so many dark, heavy, complicated, and emotionally exhausting books, there is something almost healing about joining an adorable little piglet as she wakes up, goes to school, learns, plays, writes, paints, dances, eats, naps, picks flowers, and returns home to Mama Pig.

That’s it.

And that’s the magic.

Gigglet is not trying to save the world. She is not carrying some enormous destiny on her tiny piggy shoulders. She has no superpowers, no tragic backstory, no giant villain to defeat. She simply goes to school to “learn and play,” and she does it with cheer, curiosity, and happiness in her heart.

There is something beautiful about that.

In a world that often teaches children and adults alike to rush, compete, worry, perform, and constantly chase the next thing, Gigglet reminds us to stop and smell the roses. Or, in her case, stop and pick the flowers on the way home.

Peppa, eat your heart out. There is a new cute, girly piglet in town!

The book’s structure is wonderfully accessible for little readers. The text is big, short, and easy to follow, making it perfect for bedtime, circle time, classroom reading, or parent-child bonding. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and instantly eye-catching, with the kind of cheerful visual energy that naturally draws children in.

One of the best educational aspects of Gigglet Goes to School is how it encourages children to notice similar-sounding words and playful phonetic patterns. We get pairings like:

Scribble & Squiggle
Crunch & Munch
Swish & Swash
Nestle & Nuzzle
Tumble & Stumble
Snuggle & Cuddle

That is such smart children’s writing. It is fun. It is musical. It is easy to remember. It gives children words they can say, hear, repeat, and connect to the pictures on the page.

And then there is the relationship between Gigglet and Mama Pig, which gives the book its emotional softness. Gigglet may spend much of the day away from her mother, learning and exploring independently, but she begins and ends her day with Mama Pig. There is safety there. There is comfort there. There is love, trust, and security.

And, of course, they are all smiles.

That is the essence of AMB Kids Books at its best: cheerful, child-centered, visually inviting, emotionally safe, and quietly educational without ever feeling like homework.

Then there is Welcome Baby Wigglet!, which may be the emotional crown jewel of the Gigglet universe so far.

Just when we thought Amber Berkowitz’s baby pig children’s books could not get any cuter, she introduced Baby Wigglet.

And wow.

This book is adorable, heartwarming, and genuinely touching in a way that sneaks up on you. On the surface, yes, it is another bright, cheerful, beautifully illustrated children’s book about cute anthropomorphic farm animals. But underneath all the pink, sparkle, giggles, bows, and piggy sweetness, Berkowitz is exploring something much deeper: family, change, insecurity, reassurance, and the powerful emotional bonds that shape children’s lives.

In Gigglet Goes to School, much of the emotional focus was on Gigglet’s relationship with Mama Pig. She could go out into the world, learn, play, write, paint, dance, snack, nap, and explore, then safely return home to the warmth and security of her mother.

In Welcome Baby Wigglet!, that family circle expands.

Now we get more of Gigglet’s relationship with both parents, including Papa Pig, who gets to play a more visible role. More importantly, we get the arrival of a new baby brother, Wigglet, and with him comes one of the most relatable childhood fears imaginable: “Will I still be loved the same?”

That is such a big feeling for such a little piglet.

Gigglet initially worries that the new baby might replace her as the family’s “baby.” That is not just cute. That is real. That is the kind of emotional anxiety many children experience when a new sibling enters the home. Suddenly, routines change. Attention shifts. Everyone is excited about the baby. And a child who was once the center of the universe may wonder where they now fit.

Berkowitz handles that fear with so much tenderness.

Gigglet is reassured that her parents still love her just as much as ever, and that becoming a big sister is not a loss. It is a new role. A new responsibility. A new adventure. What first seems scary becomes exciting. What first feels like replacement becomes connection.

But what remains is love.

There is so much heart in this book. Honestly, it had us feeling emotional at times, especially when Gigglet fears being replaced and later when she finally embraces her little brother. That moment works because it is not just about a baby pig meeting another baby pig. It is about a child learning that love does not shrink when a family grows.

It expands.

That is a beautiful message.

The book also works on a surprisingly thoughtful developmental level. Families are children’s first classrooms. Before school, before friendships, before the wider world, children learn safety, affection, language, trust, empathy, and identity through their earliest relationships with parents and siblings. In that sense, Berkowitz’s books are not just cute. They are quietly modeling the foundations of healthy emotional growth.

You can even see a gentle version of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs at work. Baby Wigglet is fed, warmed, protected, held, loved, and welcomed. His basic needs and safety needs are met by attentive caregivers. Then love and belonging bloom around him as the family cuddles, names, and celebrates him.

And here is the really sweet part: Gigglet becomes part of that nurturing circle too.

Because she has been raised with so much love, she is able to reflect that love back toward her baby brother. When she notices that their names sound alike and that he looks like her, it is almost as if she sees the love given to her mirrored back through Wigglet.

That is genuinely beautiful.

There is also a fun interactive element when Gigglet tries to guess what her parents’ big surprise might be. Young readers may shout, “It’s a baby!” especially if they have already read the book before. That makes it a great read-aloud opportunity. Parents and teachers can pause and ask open-ended questions like, “What do you think the surprise is?” or “How do you think Gigglet feels right now?”

That is the mark of a strong children’s book: it does not just tell a story. It creates a moment between adult and child.

Welcome Baby Wigglet! is one of the strongest entries in the AMB Kids Books catalog because it takes everything that makes Gigglet lovable, the cuteness, the warmth, the charm, the bright illustrations, the positive energy, and adds a deeper emotional layer about family growth, sibling love, and the reassurance every child needs to hear:

You are loved.

You still belong.

And there is room in this family for even more love.

There are so many more books in the series including Gigglet Goes to the Beach and Gigglet Goes to Summer Camp!

What's clear is that Gigglet and her stories are part of something bigger, more exciting, and more explansive than just one book! They're part of a world—a universe!

Gigglet has many members of her family and many friends who make this universe seem lived in and full of love.

Gigglet's Mama actually has a name, Joy! (We just learned that!)
And Gigglet's Papa is named Hammdon.

So much thought went into this!

Gigglet also has a ducky friend named Waddles (cute!) and a cow friend named Dandy!

It's hard not to melt looking at and reading about these characters.

The brand has activity and coloring pages as well, making this a really engaging educational experience.

Berkowitz also expands into other genres with her Magical Farm Series, which began with Bubblegum Rocks, and OCA winner in fiction!

She also has a book called Ladybug Kisses and another that appears bilingual (Spanish) called Besos De Mariquita.

Berkowitz has appeared in a bunch of magazines, big and small, and is always out and about promoting her work and sharing the love of reading with children at events and schools.

Check out AMB Kids Books!