Mona Liza Santos is an award-winning Filipina American children’s author, publisher, educator, and founder of World Love Press. A 2026 TOFA Awardee and 2026 TITAN Gold Winner for Outstanding Female Entrepreneur, Mona has dedicated much of her work to something very close to her heart: helping children understand their feelings, believe in themselves, treat others with kindness, and feel proud of who they are.

 

Her journey as an author began during the uncertainty of the pandemic, when she started writing simple, comforting stories for her young son. What began as a mother creating something meaningful for her child slowly became something she never expected.

 

“For me, writing children’s books has always been about more than telling a story,” Mona shares. “Emotional literacy is at the heart of my work because children can experience so many feelings before they have the words to explain them.”

 

That part of her has never changed. Behind every book is still a mother thinking about the child who may need reassurance, the child who feels different, the child who is still learning how to use their voice, or the child who simply needs to hear, “You matter just as you are.”

 

Today, Mona is the author of more than 40 children’s books exploring emotional literacy, kindness, confidence, self-love, resilience, mindfulness, belonging, family, and cultural identity. Rather than simply entertaining young readers, she hopes her stories can open meaningful conversations between children and the adults who care for them while giving children language for feelings they may not yet know how to express.

 

Her Filipino heritage is also an important part of her work. Having traveled to more than 70 countries, Mona has experienced many different cultures, traditions, and ways of life. Those experiences have strengthened her belief that children should grow up proud of where they come from while also learning to appreciate people whose stories may be different from their own.

 

In 2026, Mona was named a TOFA Awardee by The Outstanding Filipino Awards. For her, the recognition is especially meaningful because it connects her work back to her Filipino roots. More than being an achievement to add to a list, she sees it as a reminder of how something that began quietly between a mother and her child can eventually reach families and communities far beyond her own.

 

Through World Love Press, Mona brings her books and advocacy together through educational resources and community initiatives created for children, families, educators, and schools. She is also the founder of National Intentional Kindness Day, observed every August 24, and Heritage and Heart Day, observed every October 15. Both observances grew from the same ideas found throughout her writing: kindness should be intentional, every person should feel that they belong, and our differences and heritage are worth celebrating.

 

Mona also serves as an Executive Contributor for Brainz Magazine, where she writes about emotional literacy, childhood confidence, kindness, cultural identity, belonging, and human connection.

 

Even as her work continues to grow, the reason behind it remains simple. Mona hopes her stories help children feel seen and understood while giving parents, caregivers, and educators another way to begin conversations that matter.

 

If one of her books can help a child understand a difficult feeling, believe a little more in themselves, feel proud of who they are, or bring a child and parent closer together, then to Mona, that story has already done something meaningful.