Spotless Cow

I'm participating in a blog tour for a book called Mary Elizabet the Spotless Cow.

Here's the information about the book:

About the book:

The story of "Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow" takes us on the journey she travels to figure out how to get the cows at a new farm to like and accept her.

While she hopes to find friendship at her new home, instead she learns what it means to be different from everyone else. (Spotless!) Mary Elizabeth uses clever ideas and a sense of humor to help her on her quest for friends at the new farm.

This inspiring tale shows how perseverance in spite of obstacles, using a sound thought process to arrive at solutions and the importance of having fun, using humor and enjoying playtime can build friendships.

When you buy this book, 50% of net proceeds go to Phoenix Children’s Hospital Child Life Program to make a difference in the lives of children with critical and life threatening illnesses.

Excerpt:

Once upon a time........there was a farm in Ohio with lots of Cows. They all had many spots to be proud of. One day a truck pulled into the farm. The back door opened and out came a new Cow. The other Cows were so excited to have a new friend!

But as the new Cow came out of the truck the other Cows looked on in shock!!! "Oh My!’’ ’’What on Earth?!"

It seems the new Cow, whose name was Mary Elizabeth, had no spots!

’’Where are your spots??!!’’ Demanded the Cow called Anna Belle. ’’I don’t have any spots. I was born spotless, you see.’’

Well, Anna Belle and the other Cows were horrified.

(Not mad, you had to be very careful about mad)

Watch the trailer: http://youtu.be/72fOn1tEbDM

Purchasing information: From now through December 31, 2013, you can purchase Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow from the Sweetles website for only $12.00 (List price: $17.99).

When you buy this book, 50% of net proceeds go to Phoenix Children’s Hospital Child Life Program. Visit http://www.sweetles.com/product/books/mary-elizabeth-the-spotless-cow-book/ for more information.

Rafflecopter code for those participating in $25 Amazon gift card giveaway from November 4 – December 10, 2013:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Sal is the author and illustrator of “A Sweetles Dream”® book series. As the Creative Director for Hartman-Barbera llc, a family media & entertainment company, he is also an animator, sculptor, painter and all around fun guy. Sal lives the phrase: “A day without laughter is a wasted day”. To that end, he uses his writing, illustrating and animation skills to create endearing characters and comedic stories.

Sal's sense of humor and empathy for his characters explore personal and social situations in ways that makes it enjoyable for both adults and children to experience together. Born in New York City, Sal moved to North Bergen, NJ where he grew up on a steep hillside neighborhood with his four older sisters. He currently lives in sunny Arizona with his wife and artistic partner, Sheri, who he defines as his inspiration. On any given day Sal might be painting, sculpting, drawing, animating, writing or enjoying one of his favorite pastimes: cooking, television, movies and golf.

Visit Sal Barbera’s website at http://www.salbarbera.com.

Groups, etc.

Here are some links to sites I've seen lately about special needs:

http://drgrcevich.wordpress.com

http://www.ellenstumbo.com/special-needs-what-i-see/

http://autismawarenesspage.com/?utm_source=ctg&utm_medium=home-feature&utm_term=20131113&utm_campaign=aut-blog

http://www.specialneedsbookreview.com

http://www.learningrx.com

http://www.autismspeaks.org

Anyone who cares for or about kids with special needs is invited to the Facebook group, Special Kid Carers.

I'm Baaack!

I hadn't posted anything on this blog for a long time, but have decided to start blogging here again. Anyone who knows me knows I care about people with Special Needs and I even started a Facebook group for folks who care for or about children who have those. The name of the group is Special Kid Carers.

I may not post here regularly, but hope I can get whatever I do write here to show up on my social networking sites. If that works you'll be hearing from me soon.

Different Dream Parenting

Having raised foster kids with special needs and worked with many others in schools, I know quite a bit about the subject of parenting them. Without doubt Different Dream Parenting; A Practical Guide to Raising a Child with Special Needs by Jolene Philo is the most helpful book on the topic I've ever seen. It's loaded with practical advice and resources for every stage of the lives of special kids from birth to adulthood and even includes a section about coping with death of a special child. The author tells of her own experience and quotes many other parents who have children with special needs.

The book has a strong Christian message, but even readers who are not religious will find the vast collection of helpful information worth the purchase price.

Acceptance Plus

There has always been a problem with people accepting others who have special needs. For years many of them were shut away in institutions or kept at home. But here's a story that shows how one person with Down's Syndrome was more than accepted. I hope you find it inspiring.

http://www.theunion.com/article/20111013/NEWS/111019890

Blind Sided

When I started reading the book Thad Nodine sent me for review I didn't think I would like it because the first chapters contained too much erotic description for my taste. But I was soon swept into the plot, which became more and more exciting as the story unfolded and the characters must deal with a natural disaster. (No spoiler here -- you'll have to read it to find out more.)

Perhaps you wonder why I'm reviewing Touch And Go on this blog about special needs. It's because the main character is blind - not just legally, but totally, and the book lets readers understand what blindness is like. The author has several people in his family who are blind, so he knows what he's writing about.

Everything in the novel is told from hthat character's point of 'view' and is totally believable. I felt like I was actually experiencing things as he described them.

But the book is more about relationships and trust than blindness, and that condition is only part of what makes Kevin seem real.

Some readers would be offended by the language characters use, but if that sort of thing doesn't bother you, this book would be a good choice to read.

A Helper

Here's a link to a blog post about someone with special needs who helps others.

http://familiesmatter2us.blogspot.com/2011/10/guest-post-by-author-rachael-benson.html?spref=fb&mid=503

Autism Help?

Last night I met someone at a writers' group who told me his autistic son has improved amazingly since he has been on a special diet. Apparently people with autism digest foods, especially dairy and gluten, differently that other people do. Here's a link that man gave me to a website with information about many studies about that:

http://www.autismbiomed.com

Unlocked

A friend recently loaned me a book, Unlocked, by Karen Kingsbury, about a kid with autism because she knew I cared about the condition, having raised an autistic foster son. I greatly enjoyed reading it.

In my opinion, the book is most appropriate for Young Adults since the main characters are teenagers. Since it's a Christian one there's nothing offensive in it. But anyone dealing with autism will probably want to read it.

Unfortunately only a few few autistic kids are at the same place on the Autism Spectrum as Holden, the character who is helped greatly by music. But the primary focus is on the main character, Ella, who is one of the popular kids but decides to stand up for Holden in spite of what other kids think. I wish all teenagers would read it since they tend to make many bad choices because of valuing popularity.

The book is well written - I couldn't put it down - and I think it will make a difference in the world by helping "normal" people understand those who are different from themselves.