also inspire, inform and help make sense out of issues your child might
be dealing with or encounter at school or on the playground. JANINE is
one of these special kinds of books that all younger children should read because all kids are different and that is what makes us all spectacular!
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 an amazing 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.?
This book has fun illustrations and a powerful message by showing us everyone is different and that is okay and we should enjoy each other for who we are. I feel like it also reminds kids that even if you are picked on don’t let it bother you and instead by nice to everyone and be the better person. Janine kills them with kindness and eventually the birthday girl’s friends are no longer comfortable with her mean comments and they come around to like Janine.
Connect: You can connect with Janine’s Party on Facebook and Maryann Cocca-Lefler on Facebook and her blog.
Winner: Alesha D.