The 'Nurchies' picture books feature three dynamic characters, PLEASE, THANK YOU and SORRY, sure to fire kids' imaginations at story time. The Nurchies love to behave well and in return, their nurturing goodness leads to happiness. Values such as caring, generosity, patience, forgiveness and support are all encouraged within captivating and fun-filled tales. The stories are devised as an aid for parents to nurture good behavior in their children, helping them to make and maintain friendships. This introductory story, the first in a series of three books, begins on a dreary wet autumn day. PLEASE receives a text from her good friend THANK YOU who is feeling quite glum. She invites THANK YOU over for tea and yummy lemon drizzle cake. When the doorbell rings PLEASE opens it to find her guest standing there soaked right through. After drying off, the two friends enjoy afternoon tea by the fire. The downpour finally abates and a big plumptious sun bursts out. PLEASE suggests a trip to the village park where they can watch the squirrels playing. The friends quickly strap on their safety helmets, jump on their cool micro scooters and zoom off towards the park. They quietly sit on a bench waiting for the squirrels to appear. Suddenly, a surprise guest appears causing much consternation! The suspect is none other than their good friend SORRY. It seems a slight misunderstanding has occurred and now the squirrels could be too frightened to show. However, thanks to the good nature of our

characters, they manage to avoid any quarrelling! The focus now returns to the elusive squirrels. Two young kits timidly sneak out from behind a large oak tree and begin to engage in some playful antics. The friends, joined by SORRY, are fascinated. Finally, the show is over and as evening comes they decide to pay a visit to their favorite ice cream parlor. While tucking into their delicious ice cream cones The Nurchies all agree it was the perfect day. But a generous offer brings even more delight with an extra treat all round and a very happy ending to our story! These quirky and appealing characters make learning fun and therefore effective! Each character's name reflects the values and virtues associated with that word back onto the character themselves. They almost become autological, with their personalities defined by their names. Thus: PLEASE is gentle. She's always patient and never gives out. THANK YOU is kind and very friendly. She's also thoughtful. SORRY is strong. He's caring and doesn't judge people. The characters originate from a message by Pope Francis on his visit to Ireland in 2018, noting that three words underused in today's world are "Please, Thank You and Sorry.' The stories will aim to bring fresh inspiration for parents when reading with their children. Combining a unique formula with unique characters The Nurchies seek to both stimulate and reward young minds.