Sunday Post: Follow Your Dreams…Princess Shayna’s Invisible Visible Gift

Posted on December 16, 2012 by viviankirkfield

Every week, Jake at Time after Time has a Sunday Post theme…today the theme is FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS.

www.viviankirkfield.wordpress.com,Princess Shayna,sheila glazov

Look at this illustration. A child, sitting under a tree, dreaming of……?

Many of us have dreams of what we would like to become…of what we would like to do.

My advice? Follow your dreams…set goals and pursue them.

Hold onto your hats my friends…you are in for a treat! Today’s post is a holiday gift to all of you.

I would like to introduce you to one of my author friends, Sheila Glazov, who is an internationally known and award winning author, passionate educator, personality type expert, and professional speaker. I have asked Sheila to be a Holiday Guest Blogger and tell you about her captivating beautifully illustrated children’s book, Princess Shayna’s Invisible Visible Gift.

self-esteem,positive parental participation, sheila glazov

“Have you ever wondered if there is a fairy tale about a princess who is not poisoned by a villain, abandoned by her parents, or rescued by Prince Charming’s kiss? You will wonder no longer, when you learn more about my chapter book. The heroine of this a timely and timeless story is a princess whose loving parents teach her to be a strong, independent, and self-confident young woman, who girls and boys alike, can emulate and respect.

There are many meaningful, messages throughout the story. The three most significant are: 1) Appreciating and accepting individual’s differences, 2) Dealing with bully behavior, and 3) Handling personal tragedies and triumphs. Teachers have used my book as part of their school’s anti-bullying and/or diversity programs with remarkable results.

The “Invisible Visible Gift” that is referenced in the book’s title is self-esteem, which is a gift that is invisible, but can clearly be seen and felt by others by an individual’s confident behavior. Princess Shayna earns and shares her gift with the villagers in the Kingdom of Kindness, while attempting to complete a daunting Vision Quest to unite the four villages that have been separated by an evil force – the same evil force that inflicted her life-threatening disease for which the princess must take a magic elixir every day in order to live.

During her Vision Quest, the princess lives and attends school in each of the four villages in the Kingdom of Kindness. She learns to appreciate the adults’ and children’s unique personal strengths and diverse lifestyles. Princess Shayna enjoys visiting with the Yellow Sunflower villagers who are organized, responsible, and respectful; the Blue Forget-Me-Not villagers who are creative, intuitive, and compassionate; the Green Healing Herb villagers who are logical, precise, and methodical; and the Orange Tiger Lily villagers who are fun-loving, courageous, and resourceful. Her accepting perspective of the Kingdom and her own special gifts allows the princess to harmoniously unite all the villagers.

Sarah Spundah the Silver Spider, Sigmund the Royal Wizard, and White Falcon are enchanting characters who love and help Princess Shayna. But, the frightening sorceress, Meevillian, plots with her treacherous trolls, Mennis and Meene, to prevent the princess from completing her Vision Quest and schemes to gain control of the Kingdom of Kindness.

The story also teaches children they do not have to be perfect to be loved. No one is perfect, not even Princess Shayna! The princess has diabetes. My use of bibliotherapy helps children feel their problems are less threatening. They learn how to solve problems and handle difficulties when they encounter similar problems that are challenges for the story’s characters

Children generally establish their self-image and feel validation by what is said about them or how others behave toward them. Reading Princess Shayna offers children the opportunity to immediately discover their personality type and their “Praiseworthy Gifts”. The Gift Givers Guide at the back of the book is designed to help adults start a conversation with children at home or in the classroom to share their feelings and thoughts about their exciting journey with Princess Shayna.

Princess Shayna is the fairy tale version of my, What Color Is Your Brain?® book.The Brain Color personality types described in that book correspond to the attributes and abilities of the four villages in Princess Shayna’s Kingdom of Kindness. Children immediately pick up the concepts and naturally begin speaking “Brain Color”.

With this easy-to-understand, fun and non-judgmental language of color the children feel comfortable expressing their feelings and thoughts, which positively enrich their relationships with friends, family and teachers.

If you believe, as Vivian and I do, that every child deserves to feel loved, safe, and confident within a trustworthy home, school, and community environment, you will enjoy sharing Princess Shayna’s Invisible Visible Gift with the children in your life as Holiday, Birthday or Love Gift!
Please, note that 10% of the royalties from the sale of my books is allocated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) http://www.jdrf.org . Our eldest son has had Type 1 diabetes (T1D) for 27 years. My most fervent wish is to find a cure for Joshua and the other 3 million people in the United States who have Type 1 diabetes (T1D)!

I am most grateful to Vivian for giving me this generous opportunity to tell you about my books and programs. Thank you, Vivian!

Best wishes to everyone for a Joyful Holiday Season!”

The following links will help you:

Contact Sheila: sheila@sheilaglazov.com

Learn more about Princess Shayna’s Invisible Visible Gift www.PrincessShayna.com

Learn more about What Color Is Your Brain?® http://www.sheilaglazov.com/booksdvd/what-color-is-your-brain/

Take a fun Brain Quiz http://www.sheilaglazov.com/brain-quizzes

Learn more about Sheila’s Programs http://www.sheilaglazov.com/programs

Subscribe to Sheila’s Blog http://www.sheilaglazov.com/blog/

“Like” the What Color Is Your Brain? book Facebook Page for weekly updates http://www.facebook.com/What.Color.Is.Your.Brain

Follow Sheila on Twitter https://twitter.com/sheilaglazov

Follow Sheila on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/snglazov

Did you hold onto your hats? If you didn’t, I hope you will find them before Christmas.

I also hope all of you click on Sheila’s links to find out more about this amazing woman who generously shared her expertise and knowledge with me before my book was published. To purchase a copy of the wonderful chapter book that helps children learn about self-esteem and believe in themselves, click on this link: Princess Shayna’s Invisible Visible Gift. What a great companion book it would make to Show Me How!

Have fun with Sheila’s Brain Quiz…children love to discover the ‘color’ of their brain…and adults will find that it enhances your work and personal relationships because you can understand why you get along so well with some people and not with others.

I join with Sheila in wishing all of you a Happy Holiday and successful and healthy New Year.

Don’t forget to check out Susanna Leonard Hill’s 2^nd Annual Holiday Contest…there will be amazing children’s stories to read! Winners will be announced on her blog on Wednesday, December 26^th and there will be LOTS of fabulous prizes.

For more information about the Sunday Posts:

The Adventures of Tempest & Serena: A Chapter Book Home Run!

Posted on August 24, 2012 by viviankirkfield

As a child, I loved books in all shapes and sizes.

I remember the summer between third and fourth grade, I would go to the library and take out piles of books…and sit reading in the back yard…all day long! Black Beauty, Little Women, Nancy Drew…as soon as I turned the last page, I would start another book.

About two years ago, there was a controversy about “chapter” books…are they replacing picture books for young children and when should parents encourage their kids to read them. I have to admit that I wasn’t quite sure what they were talking about…were “chapter” books some new electronic age phenomenon?

Luckily, I met children’s author Marty Mokler Banks at a local SCBWI meeting last weekend.

And now I know all about chapter books because she wrote one.

And it was just published.

And she graciously gave me a copy so that I could review it.

And I LOVED it.

And I remembered those wonderful classic stories I had read years ago…the forerunners of today’s “chapter” books.

And here’s something awesome for all of you…other than my wonderful review, that is.

The author is offering a FREE DOWNLOAD of The Adventures of Tempest & Serena for the entire weekend (Friday, August 24 to Sunday, August 26). Just click on the link below.

http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Tempest-Serena-ebook/dp/B008SV7UZG/ref=la_B004OB10M8_1_1_title_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1345468668&sr=1-1

I know you won’t want to miss reading it…and then you can click over to where the paperback copy is for sale on Amazon…believe me, this book is a GREAT gift for any young boy or girl…the holidays are coming sooner than you think and it’s all about encouraging children to READ!

And after you read this review, I know you will want to pick up several for your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews or any kid age 7 and up.

The Adventures of Tempest & Serena

Written by Marty Mokler Banks (she also did the inside illustrations!)

Themes:

Sisters, courage, valuing one’s own strengths and qualities, friendship, bullying/teasing, magic, adventure, travel.

Synopsis:

From the Amazon site: “Wild, brave Tempest wants summer to last forever. Her calm, timid sister, Serena, can’t wait for the start of the new school year. On the first day, Tempest decides to skip fourth grade, seek adventure by using magic to sprout wings, and fly away to exotic places. As she waves good-bye, Serena promises to save her sister’s seat on the bus. Will Tempest make it home? Can Serena keep her promise? As each sister battles bullies, disasters, and loneliness, they discover they’re more alike than they know.”

Why do I like this book:

I don’t only like this book…I love this book! It kept me turning the pages and wanting to find out what would happen next…I couldn’t put it down once I started it.

A number of timely topics such as girl empowerment and bullying and teasing are addressed. In addition, the story takes us to distant lands and enables the reader to see how the various characters face their fears and conquer them. Children need great roles models and they will find them in Tempest and Serena and some of their friends.

Author Banks has certainly stepped up to the plate with her debut chapter book…with The Adventures of Tempest & Serena, she has hit a homerun, right out of the park and into the hearts of her readers!

The Adventures of Tempest & Serena is available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle (http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Tempest-Serena-ebook/dp/B008SV7UZG/ref=la_B004OB10M8_1_1_title_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1345468668&sr=1-1.

If you’d like to know more about children’s author, Marty Mokler Banks, you can visit her website at http://martymoklerbanks.com/index.html.

And if I may impose on your patience another minute, I need to mention three quick items of importance:

1. Please don’t forget we are accepting nominations for your favorite school or classroom to win a copy of Show Me How! All you have to do is leave a comment on one of my posts…telling which school should get a copy. At the end of September, we will select a dozen winners using Random.org.

2. On Wednesday, I watched the LIVE Google+ broadcast of The Happy Mommy Handbook with Susan Case and Katie Norris. It was lots of fun…and I joined the after-hangout chat when the program was over. I don’t know if any of you have done Google+ Hangouts…it was kind of like Skype…real-time face-to-face interaction. All three of us agreed that we’d like to do a program together…perhaps addressing the subject of bullying. I’ll let everyone know when that will happen.

3. Regarding bullying…I will be interviewed on the 9News morning show on Monday, August 27^th at 8:20am (Mountain Time). If you click on their link, I think it will be able to see it…unless, of course, you are in Denver and get that channel and can watch on your TV. We will be talking about the Subtle Signs of Bullying and what steps parents can take. This is an important topic, especially with school just starting. Let’s stop bullying in its tracks! I’ll be doing an article about it next week.

The Happy Mommy Handbook…Real Help for Real Moms (viviankirkfield.wordpress.com)
Books vs. Bullies (skyblush.wordpress.com)
School must enforce a “No-Bullying” policy (tina7serrano.wordpress.com)
Best Beginning Chapter Books for 2nd and 3rd Grade (pragmaticmom.com)

And the winner is…Awards, awards and more awards!

Posted on July 7, 2012 by viviankirkfield

We all need a break now and then. I just got back from an amazing week in Chicago…total rest and relaxation provided by my son and daughter-in-law.

Many bloggers I know are stepping back a little from their posting schedule…renewing and refreshing themselves with family time and/or vacations near and far.

I, too, have been less active with the business of blogging…but today I wanted to catch up on several awards that have been passed along to me over the last few months. I also want to announce the winner of the Lap-Time Song and Play Book by Jane Yolen that I am giving away in honor of my 300^th blog post.

Let me first thank:

1. Future Flying Saucers for the Mrs. Sparkly’s Ten Commandments Award

The “Mrs. Sparkly’s Ten Commandments Award” has to do with a woman of the same name, known for being very elegant and having high expectations, and who is committed to maintaining integrity, good manners and behavior, as well as a rich sense of humor.

Future Flying Saucers is a homeschooling SAHM now…but she had a career in education before…her story is inspiring…I hope you will pay her a visit. I’m honored with this award…not sure about the elegant part…but I do have high expectations and I am definitely committed to maintaining integrity, good manners and behavior…and I can laugh at myself and try to see the lighter, humorous side of life, especially when things aren’t going well.

2. Dawn at Tales of the Motherhood for the Good Apple Award.

Dawn has an amazing blog…her home is a veritable United Nations…take a look-see…I know you will enjoy it. As with most blogging awards, there are all kinds of rules…answer a bunch of questions and then nominate others and provide them with questions they need to answer…but it’s summer…and I don’t want to give anyone more work and stress.

3. Milka at Perfecting Motherhood for the ABC Award.

If you love reading and think it is an important activity for children, please stop over at Perfecting Motherhood! Milka is an amazing mother who encourages reading by reading to her children every day, by having books available all the time (her children probably think the library is just an extension of their home because they are there so often) and by being seen reading (she is always recommending books that she has read). The requirement of the ABC Award (Awesome Blog Content) is to describe yourself using every letter of the alphabet…I seriously doubt anyone wants to know that much about me, but in my post on Sunday, I will recommend twenty-six picture books (from A to Z) for great summer reading.

4. Marcy at Orples for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

Marcy is a talented children’s picture book author and illustrator. Her Orples picture book series is charming and each book presents a lesson to be learned. Please pay a call to her website and check out her lovely books. I hope I can live up to this award…perhaps my passion for reading picture books with children will inspire other parents…and my love of writing picture books will encourage others who dream of publishing their work.

One of the rules of all of these awards is to nominate others to receive them. There are dozens and dozens of bloggers whose posts I love reading who deserve all of these awards. Many of them probably have some of them already. Because it is summer…and I don’t want to put pressure on anyone…I’m going to list a baker’s dozen (13) of blogs that I encourage everyone to visit…and pass along the honor of all four awards to them…but I hope none of the thirteen will feel compelled to post about it now. This list of bloggers is an international one…enjoy!