KidzBuild™ is an imprint of Pages2Turn, LLC Publishing Company. It represents the nonfiction children's book genre.

"Raphael's Playground, Kid’s Adventure Book Series" is a children's book series published by Pages2Turn LLC.

The stories are about a bright, adventurous and creative little boy named Raphael whose grandparents built a wooden indoor playground for him during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the mention of a simple phrase (“I like playing with building blocks every day”), the playground comes to life as a friendly guide named Atlas, who transports Raphael and his favorite dinosaur, T-Rex, to exciting places worldwide. There they make new friends and learn fun facts about famous buildings and other structures. Each book contains an adventure and educational activities that feature the concept of “construction play,”—having fun playing with building blocks and other construction toys, while expanding creative abilities. With each adventure, "Raphael’s Playground, Kid’s Adventure Book Series" introduces children to a basic view of architecture, engineering, and construction.

"Benefits of Construction Play":

Develops and improves the following...

Creativity
Social interaction
Problem solving skills
Emotional development
Eye-hand coordination/fine motor skills
Persistence and patience
Ability to focus
Introduces children to the basics of architecture, engineering, and construction
Allows children to exercise and stretch their imagination

Raphael's Playground Theme Song

Lyrics written by Genia M. Owens

Character Profiles

Meet the friends in the series. Who are your favorite characters?

Raphael

Raphael (a.k.a. Raph) is an energetic little boy who is very caring and enjoys helping others. When he is not in school, he spends most of his time playing with his favorite toy dinosaur, T-Rex, in his indoor playground that his grandparents built for him. Raph's upbeat energy is demonstrated as he swings, climbs the playground rock wall and plays with building blocks every day. He is very meticulous, carefully arranging and connecting the blocks with great attention to detail. Other than building structures with blocks, his favorites are the color blue, all things dinosaurs, the number 45, and eating spaghetti.

Oli

Oli is a kind, warm-hearted, curious little boy who worries about everything. If something doesn’t seem right, he’s the first to investigate or ask questions. Being neat and organized is very important to him. That’s why his grandparents built a unique wooden toy box that has special compartments, doors and drawers so each toy can be stored in a special place. Though he appears to be somewhat shy, he has a very creative imagination, and is the only student in the first story of “Raphael’s Playground” series who asks about the talking T-Rex during the tour. Other than playing with building blocks, his favorites are the color green, collecting dinosaurs, and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Ross

Ross is a very smart, creative little boy. His friends see him as a genius who is fascinated with baseball and stadiums. Unlike some children who dislike wearing glasses, Ross loves to wear them because he sees them as his superpower. His grandparents were so impressed with his creative abilities, that they built a custom play cabinet to display his creations. Though he is extremely intelligent, he is so down to earth that he makes everyone around him feel just as smart. Other than playing with building blocks, his favorites are the color combination of blue and brown, taking toys apart to see how they work, and eating crispy potato pancakes.

Pete

Pete is a cool kid who other children look up to and admire. He has such a positive outlook, and is more concerned with being a good friend rather than having lots of friends. In his backyard, he enjoys rolling in his wheelchair through a wooden obstacle course his grandfather built for him to stay active. It has special ramps and activities that are also fun for other children who stop by to visit. Though he enjoys high impact activities, he is basically laid back and motivated by his ability to overcome any obstacles he might face. Other than playing with building blocks, his favorites are the color yellow, shooting a basketball in a hoop, and eating pizza.

Lark

Laura (a.k.a. Lark) is a very confident and outspoken little girl who lives in Vienna, Austria. She loves to voice her opinion with the intention to help others, but most of all to show off what she knows. She enjoys singing and dancing on the stage that her grandparents built for her in the playroom, and making stage props with building blocks. Other than playing with building blocks, her favorites are the color purple, playing with dolls, and eating tea cookies that she helps her mother bake.

Silvie

Silvie is a creative, persistent, little girl who is confident, and has a very positive outlook. She is athletic and never shies away from a challenge. She lives in Puerto Rico and enjoys the warm, tropical climate for outdoor activities. Though she is the youngest with 5 siblings, she believes she can do anything she puts her mind to do. She enjoys playing with the puppet theater her grandfather built for the puppets that she designs and creates. Other than playing with building blocks, her favorites are the color red, climbing just about anything above her height and eating yogurt snacks.

Darla

Darla is incredibly independent and an extremely compassionate little girl who won't hesitate to stand up for what's right. She and her parents live in Germany on a U.S. military base, where she was born. Darla enjoys tumbling, spinning and walking on the balance beam that her grandparents built for her while visiting one weekend. She is very active, creative and shows great potential of becoming a gymnast someday. Other than playing with building blocks that she stacks and leaps over before stepping onto the balance beam, she likes the color pink, painting pictures and eating fresh baked pretzels with dipping sauce.

Pria

Pria and her parents live in San Francisco, California. She is a kind little girl who is very optimistic, inquisitive and full of creative ideas. When her grandparents visited from Mumbai, they built a beautiful wooden doll house to display her doll collection. Every year, her grandmother makes a doll dressed in authentic Indian attire to keep her connected and proud of her heritage. Other than playing with building blocks, her favorites are the color orange, drawing pictures and eating fried pastries that her mother stuffs with veggies and spices.

Cooper

Cooper is Raphael's next-door neighbor. She is a very polite, studious and level-headed girl who would rather ask a million questions than forego the opportunity to learn something new. Her grandparents built a desk, customized to her favorite interests. Other than playing with building blocks, Cooper's favorites are the color green, science and technology, and eating oatmeal raisin cookies.

Jack

Jack is Raphael's neighbor from across the street. He goes on an adventure with Raphael in the playground. His grandfather made a wooden train set that he helped paint with vibrant primary colors. Other than playing with building blocks, his favorites are the color light blue, playing chase, reading comic books and eating mac and cheese.

T-Rex

T-Rex is Raphael's favorite toy dinosaur and closest friend. He comes to life when he and Raphael are transported to different places to learn about famous buildings and other structures worldwide. T-Rex is not like any other Tyrannosaurus Rex. He is gentle, friendly and happy that he can talk.

Atlas

Raphael's Playground (a.k.a. Atlas) is the indoor, wooden playspace that Raphael's grandparents built for him during the COVID-19 pandemic. This adorable structure offers fun activities and a special place where Rapheal likes to play with building blocks. It is also the pathway to exciting adventures where Raphael and his friends learn about famous buildings and other structures worldwide.