Children's Book "Janine" Teaches Kids To Be Yourself

I received a copy of this book in exchange for this post all views and opinions are my own. Sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment. 

Have you ever felt left out or excluded for being different? I think a lot of kids go through rough stages of being excluded. I don't understand why some children are cruel, but I've always thought you can teach your kids to include others by making sure you never give them an example of excluding. Even as adults we can sometimes not realize we're excluding people, but if we actively work at being great friends and being friendly to everyone our kids will follow our lead. It's not enough to just teach our kids to be yourself, you also have to teach them to be kind. We were given a copy of the children's picture book "Janine" for review and it resonated with the Booper. 

 Meet Janine. She is one of a kind! Janine dresses a little different, remembers random facts, reads the dictionary for fun, and has her own style of cheering. Nobody does things the way Janine does things! One girl in Janine's class is throwing a party and all the COOL kids are invited. But Janine is not cool. Some kids think she is strange and want her to change. Will Janine try to be different or just be her spectacular self? In this charming story, author Maryann Cocca-Leffler uses her own daughter as inspiration for a delightfully spunky character. Janine Leffler focuses on the positive while navigating life with disabilities and has become a role model to children and adults, encouraging them to focus on abilities and promoting respect, tolerance, and kindness. 

Maryann Leffler is a beloved author/illustrator who has written over 50 children's books.  With JANINE, Maryann gets personal and states, “Through my book, JANINE, I hope to encourage kids to celebrate their differences and stand up for themselves, as well as inspire all children to stand up for those who are left out or bullied.”

Even young children like the Booper can have empathy for a character who is being left out and he understood it wasn't fair. After reading the book I asked the Booper a few questions about the story. His first response was he would invite Janine to his party. His second response was he thought the other little girl was jealous of Janine, and that he thought Janine's clothes were fine. I love how he instantly wanted to include Janine and he grasped the idea that everyone should be invited to a party. 

This is a very simple story but it's a great way to start a conversation with your kids about how everyone is different, but everyone should be included.

Enter The "Janine" Children's Book Giveaway! 

One lucky entrant selected by rafflecopter will receive a hard copy of "Janine"! (ARV$17) Open to readers in the US, 18 years and older. Open for entry from 4/24-5/11/15 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to verification email to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected. Use the rafflecopter below to enter. Good Luck! 

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