Meet Pineapple Friends Children’s Books
Pineapple Friends® introduces problem-solving, design thinking, social-emotional learning (SEL) and social entrepreneurship through fun, engaging stories and relatable characters. Each book empowers young learners to tackle challenges with creativity, empathy, and critical thinking. Perfect for ages 4-10+, educators, schools, libraries, and families.
📖 Read the Pineapple Friends Overview PDF
About the Pineapple Friends Children’s Books
Authored by Neetal Parekh, a lawyer turned social innovator, and illustrated by Zoe Almon Job, the Pineapple Friends children’s books combine storytelling with educational principles to inspire the next generation of social innovators.
- 🦙 Book 1: Allie Alpaca Asks Questions
Allie Alpaca loves helping others, but she’s not sure if she’s a great problem solver—until she learns the magic of asking “why.” This fun story teaches kids how curiosity leads to better problem-solving!
💡 Discover how asking thoughtful questions helps us understand others’ needs and create meaningful solutions - 🦓 Book 2: Zarah Zebra and Sammy Sloth Build Something
When Zarah and Sammy discover their local creek is full of trash, they team up to build a solution! This adventure shows kids how collaboration and creativity can make a big impact.
💡Follow along as the friends brainstorm big ideas and then build a simple into a simple prototype to test - 🐢 Book 3: Tut Tortoise Pitches an Idea
Shy Tut is nervous to pitch a social enterprise idea to improve the community at the Pineapple Valley Fair, but with his friends’ help, he takes the stage. Kids learn the value of sharing ideas and asking for feedback!
💡 Learn the art of storytelling and how we can muster our courage to share our innovative ideas with others - 🦥 Book 4: Pineapple Friends Coloring and Activity Book
Fun coloring pages and interactive activities let kids exercise creativity while practicing problem-solving, teamwork, and design-thinking– with their favorite Pineapple Valley pals!
💡 Reinforce key concepts through creative coloring and engaging activities that connect all three stories
Each book includes interactive activities that reinforce learning and an online “chat” experience where children can connect with Pineapple Friends characters.
Allie Alpaca Asks Questions
Allie Alpaca loves helping others, but she’s not sure if she’s a great problem solver—until she learns the magic of asking “why.” This fun story teaches kids how curiosity leads to better problem-solving!
Book 1, Pineapple Friends Children’s Books. Written by Neetal Parekh and illustrated by Zoe Almon Job. Published by Quad Press Publishing, an imprint of Innov8social.
ISBN: Paperback: 978-0-9907482-3-6 | Hardcover: 978-0-9907482-4-3 | Ebook: 978-0-9907482-5-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2024909041
Meet Allie Alpaca
Allie is an inquisitive thinker who loves to ask questions.
Themes
🦙 Develop social emotional learning (SEL) and design thinking skills through the power of asking thoughtful “why?” questions
🧠 Build critical thinking and problem mapping abilities that encourage empathy and understanding
👥 Experience friendship and teamwork through collaborative problem-solving adventures
💡 Discover the courage to overcome fear by asking questions with kindness and curiosity
🤝 Learn from mentors while building confidence in your own unique problem-solving abilities
Allie Alpaca
Allie Alpaca is a fluffy alpaca with a love for curiosity and discovery. She wears a cozy pink sweater adorned with pineapples and carries a crossbody bag filled with her favorite things. Join Allie as she asks big questions and seeks out answers in “Allie Alpaca Asks Questions.”
Featured in:
- Allie Alpaca Asks Questions (Book 1)
- Coloring and Activity Book (Book 4)
- And, in the entire Pineapple Friends series
Educational Themes
The Pineapple Friends children’s books are grounded in key educational principles:
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Design Thinking: Encouraging iterative problem-solving and user-centered design.
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Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Fostering empathy, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills.
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Entrepreneurship: Introducing basic concepts of idea development and value creation.
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Critical Thinking: Promoting analysis, evaluation, and logical reasoning.
Resources for Parents and Educators
- For Readers:
- Relatable characters like Allie Alpaca, Tut Tortoise, and Pari Pig who face challenges and discover their superpowers through curiosity and collaboration.
- Fun, memorable lessons about problem-solving, empathy, and making a positive impact in the world.
- For Educators:
- We offer a range of resources to support the integration of Pineapple Friends into educational settings:
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Lesson Plans: Structured guides aligned with educational standards.
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Activity Sheets: Printable materials to reinforce learning objectives.
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Discussion Questions: Prompts to facilitate meaningful conversations about the stories’ themes.
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- We offer a range of resources to support the integration of Pineapple Friends into educational settings:
Neetal Parekh, Author
Neetal Parekh is a lawyer by education, a social innovator through experience, and a storyteller at heart. She is the author of 51 Questions on Social Entrepreneurship and the Pineapple Friends series, and founder of Innov8social– which creates content and experiences to make social entrepreneurship more actionable, transformative, and accessible.She is a passionate advocate for social impact ecosystem building, believing that this field empowers us to creatively reimagine how businesses and individuals can create meaningful impact and lasting value.
Zoe Almon Job, Illustrator
Zoe is a graphic designer based in Los Angeles, California. She brings characters to life through illustration, graphic design, and other visual techniques.
Brought to you by Quad Press, an imprint of Innov8social
Quad Press Publishing focuses on creating, curating, publishing, and distributing print and digital content around social entrepreneurship, social impact, impact ecosystem-building, and connecting with self and community.
Innov8social is dedicated to the mission of making social entrepreneurship more actionable, transformative, and accessible. Follow @pineapplefriendsbooks, @innov8social and @impactathon on Instagram and social media for updates.
Create impact for young learners in your community!
- Reach out about bulk sales available for schools and institutions
- Connect with us for special order braille-friendly versions of the books
- Reach out to schedule Impactathon Workshops for Kids (story hour + hands-on activities)
- Host a book talk with the author (live and virtual)
- Bring our books to your bookstore and library!
- Schedule a time to meet to learn more!
- Email us at hi@innov8social.com