Read with us.
Read with us.
There is something very special in Ms. Swirly’s class: a Compliment Machine that gives, you guessed it, compliments! But when the machine starts giving insults instead, the students learn the power of a kind word and how to use their voices for good.
Jett loves everything about Ms. Swirly’s wacky classroom—from alphabatics to the four-legged teaching assistant. Though above all, he loves the compliment machine. But he and the class love the compliment machine a little too much, and when a kerfuffle causes the machine to malfunction, it spouts off insults instead. The most shocking, ridiculous, silly insults—which can’t possibly be mentioned here! After all attempts to repair it fail, Jett must find a way to cheer up the class before they are doomed to be one big gaggle of grumps all year.
MS. SWIRLY’S COMPLIMENT MACHINE is a silly-but-sweet story about the power of a kind word. It empowers young readers to use their voice for good. The SEL component makes it a wonderful choice to read in the classroom, the library, or at home.
Categories: picture book, social emotional learning
THEMES: your own voices, classroom;
Publishing date: September 8th 2026
ISBN: 9781958325643 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 9781958325681 (E-book)
Hardback: $18.99 US
Length: 32 pages
Size: 11 x 9 inches
Ages: 3-8
Grade: K-Gr2
AUTHOR: Jana Mattern
ILLUSTRATOR: Judit Orosz
SELLING POINTS
Available at your favorite bookstores or online retailers. For WHOLESALE please order through your Hachette account. Also available at any other library or other distributors, like Brodart, Follett, or Ingram, etc.
Debut author Jana Mattern is passionate about writing picture books that delight children, stir their imagination, and encourage a lifelong love of reading. She especially loves writing (and reading) humorous stories with heart, as well as stories where a character might get eaten. She is a member of SCBWI and was a 2-year member of Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 Picture Book Challenge. She regularly participates in writing contests and has placed in Vivian Kirkfield’s 50 Precious Words contest as well as Ciara O’Neal and Kaitlyn Sanchez’s Spring Fling Contest.
Jana graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Marketing. She lives near Houston, Texas with her husband and four children. When she’s not hanging out with her family, she is volunteering with children and teens at her church. She is an aspiring pickleball player, an overly-competitive board-game player, and a mediocre plant mom.
Judit Orosz s a Hungarian illustrator and paper engineer known for the Ruth Bader Ginsburg volume of the Little People, Big Dreams series. With a background in animation, she brings a unique sense of world-building to her storytelling. In recent years, her work has evolved from digital roots into a tactile, paper-based style featuring magical pop-ups.
A mother of five inspired by nature and nostalgia, Judit blends traditional craft with digital soul, recharging through music and hiking. See Judit’s work at https://www.juditorosz.com/
