Contest The Little King and His Marshmallow Kingdom

While we're on the topic of books, I'd like to share one that's really special to me. In a world where we struggle to protect kids from hateful speech and bullying, teaching our own children to be inclusive and loving to all kids, regardless of perceived differences is, in my opinion, one of our paramount jobs as parents. I can recall one of my proudest moments of parenting Keep was when, at age 4, I arrived to pick her up from preschool and was pulled into the director's office. She wanted to tell me that they'd gotten a new student who was differently-abled, and that when the new girl was introduced to the class, Keep gave her a gentle hug and proceeded to show her around and introduce her to all the other kids. To this day, that little girl is a good friend of Keep's, and comes to every birthday party and BBQ our family has.

 

But it's not enough to rely on our kids' early acceptance of others. As parents, we must take affirmative steps to make certain that our kids understand the importance of accepting and being kind to others. But how can we teach our kids to be inclusive, particularly if their built in social group doesn't currently include any kids with different abilities?

Well, imagine my surprise when author Louis Rotella (the 3^rd, I love it!) contacted me about his new book, which helps young children understand that different abilities like Down Syndrome, don't make kids anything else but, well, kids! In the book, Louie John Rotella the Fourth shares with readers all the ways he's just a regular kinda kid. A kid who, incidentally, is his mom's special little prince even when he gets into trouble with the toothpaste tube. The book is titled The Little King and His Marshmallow Kingdom.

Louie John was born just a few weeks after Keep. They both love soccer, being around friends, and ironically enough, blowing bubbles. In the book, Louie and his relatives use kid friendly explanations to answer questions Louie's friends and cousins have about what kid's with different abilities can do. They kindly explain that Down's is not contagious, and that while it might take Louie a little longer to do some things, he's a fun loving kid who can do most of what other kids can.

When we read the book for the first time, it inspired a great dialogue with Keep and Bogey about some of the kids they go to school with who have para-educators to help them be mainstreamed into the classroom. Keep talked about a boy in her classroom who is in a motorized wheelchair, and how he is really good at shooting hoops during PE. The conversation organically evolved into a discussion about what we can do as kids, parents, classmates, and friends when we see someone bullying another person for things out of that person's control.

This book is not only a fun read that helps teach kids about how similar kids with different abilities are to them, but it opens a great door for communication to help impart your parenting values to your children.

If you're big on gifting books during the holidays, I highly recommend this one. I've always looked at the holidays as an opportunity to give, and what better gift to give your children than the foundation they can carry all their lives that is built on being kind and caring?

You can find The Little King and His Marshmallow Kingdom at amazon, and it's available for both prime and super saver shipping. It's a beautiful hardback book with appealing artwork and a story you can really feel good about sharing with your children.

~~UPDATE TO ADD GIVEAWAY~~

Mr. Rotella (and his publishing company) have generously offered to give a copy of this beautiful and touching book away to one of my readers! To enter, become a GFC follower and leave a comment below letting me know who you'd love to share this book with! Make sure you leave an email in your comment so I can contact you if you win!

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This contest will end at 11:59pm(central) on December 3rd, 2010. A winner will be selected using Random.org, verified, and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before another winner will be selected. Contest open to United States only. Prize will be sent from the sponsor, and prize redemption is the responsibility of sponsor.

Disclosure- This book was provided to me by the sponsor. No other compensation was received, and there was no review required. The opinions and interpretations above are my own and have not been edited or shaped by anyone other than myself.