Mark Hertling releases children’s book on character and kindness

Blue Balloon Books released A Walk Through the Zoo on Nov. 10, 2026, a children’s picture book by retired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling. The book uses a zoo adventure to teach young readers lessons about kindness, courage, honesty, responsibility and respect.

Why it matters: - A Walk Through the Zoo brings lessons on character to early readers through a format designed for children, parents, grandparents and educators. - The book extends Mark Hertling’s work on leadership, service and values into a younger audience. - The release lands one day before Veterans Day, adding symbolic timing to a book shaped by Hertling’s military experience.

What happened: - Blue Balloon Books released A Walk Through the Zoo on Nov. 10, 2026. - Best-selling author and retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling wrote the picture book. - The story follows Caleb, Gabe and Abigail on a trip through the zoo with Adam the Alligator and Cocoa, their dog. - Each animal encounter introduces a lesson about character.

The details: - The book focuses on kindness, courage, honesty, responsibility and respect. - The story suggests that strength is not always about power. - The book also frames confidence as something that does not need to be loud. - The narrative emphasizes doing the right thing when no one is watching. - Hertling said a friend inspired the idea after reading If I Don't Return and wishing for a similar book for young children. - Hertling’s earlier memoir, If I Don't Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal, was published in March 2026. - That memoir began as a journal for his young sons during a combat deployment. - The memoir explores leadership, family, service and lessons passed from one generation to the next.

Between the lines: - Hertling is using children’s publishing to translate adult leadership themes into age-appropriate lessons. - The zoo setting gives the book a simple structure for teaching abstract ideas through concrete examples. - The release also reinforces Blue Balloon Books’ focus on illustrated children’s titles built in partnership with authors.

What's next: - Hertling is continuing to build on the themes introduced in If I Don't Return. - The book is positioned to support family and classroom conversations about character as children encounter the story. - Blue Balloon Books will continue marketing the title through its usual author-publisher channels, including Blue Balloon Books on LinkedIn, Blue Balloon Books on Instagram, Blue Balloon Books on Facebook, and Ballast Books on YouTube.

The bottom line: - A Walk Through the Zoo turns a retired general’s leadership message into a kid-friendly story about how character shows up in everyday choices.