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:

PPBF: Cat Tale….A Lesson in Group Dynamics and Word Power

Posted on October 26, 2012 by viviankirkfield

Today is Perfect Picture Book Friday where I link up with Susanna Leonard Hill’s fantastic group of picture book writers, illustrators, librarians and others who contribute a picture book review.

I do have four (!!!!) things to share with you before we reveal the Perfect Picture Book Friday pick.

Show Me How! has been endorsed by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Studies show that kids with special needs often struggle with self-esteem issues and JDRF feels the book is especially helpful to families who are dealing with juvenile diabetes or children with other special needs. The book will appear on their newly launched book review page from now until April: http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=101074 I’m donating 20% to JDRF for any books people buy when they click through to my website from the JDRF page.
If you haven’t already signed up for Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo 2012, hurry over and DO IT! I’m planning on using the wonderful journal Susanna sent me for participating in Summer Short and Sweets…it will be PERFECT for those 30 picture book ideas that are already swirling around in my head!
Monday, October 29, at 7pm EST, the wife of Governor O’Malley of Maryland will be talking about bullying on a Google+ HOA (Hangout on Air). I may be joining the discussion. I will definitely know by Sunday…so if it works out, I will include that information in my Sunday post.
Susanna Leonard Hill has a wonderful Halloweensie writing contest going on right now…you still have plenty of time to participate…entries are due by Wednesday, October 31.

And now…because you have been so patient…perhaps I should offer goodies like Susanna does…here is the last PPBF for October.

Our Perfect Picture Book Friday choice is Cat Tale…in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month.

Written and illustrated by Michael Hall

Publisher: Greenwillow Books (2012)

Ages: 4 and up

Themes:

Communication (using words), friendship, group dynamics

First lines:

“From word to word, they find their way, Lillian, Tilly and William J.

They pack some books and kitty chews, they choose a spot, they spot some ewes.”

Synopsis:

Using words, the three intrepid cats go from adventure to adventure…always sticking together.

Why do I like this book:

BOLD ILLUSTRATIONS WITH THE COLORS BURSTING FROM THE PAGES.

THE SMOOTH SING-SONG RHYME…THE PLAY ON WORDS AND PLAY WITH WORDS.

Experts recommend that kids use group dynamics and words to combat bullies (in addition to telling an adult right away). Michael Hall’s three cats show us how using words and sticking together can get one past many obstacles.

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Kids love to do arts and crafts! Michael Hall used cut paper for his illustrations. Using cut paper, kids can do amazing projects.

Here’s a cut paper “quilt” that would make a wonderful wall or door decoration for Halloween. All you need is a large piece of poster board and several sheets of appropriately colored construction paper. Trace various ‘Halloween” themed characters, cut them out and paste onto the poster board. You can make the project more simple by using a single piece of construction paper and doing just one character.

Here’s a project that will be easy for the youngest child. You will need several sheets of contruction paper in “Halloween” colors, paste and scissors. Trace the child’s handprint several times on each sheet and cut out. Paste them together to form a wreath shape and hang up on door or wall. To make the wreath more sturdy, use a piece of poster board or cardboard as backing.

Both of these crafts are from: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/halloween_crafts_other.htm

More wonderful paper crafts here: http://www.marthastewart.com/274940/kids-paper-crafts/@center/276975/marthas-crafts-kids

And more amazing paper crafts here: http://www.origami-resource-center.com/kirigami-for-kids.html

This post is part of a series for parents and teachers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays hosted by Susanna Leonard Hill. Click on her link and find lots of other picture book suggestions with summaries and activities. This is an unbelievable resource for any parent, teacher or children’s librarian.

Draft a Picture Book Every Day for a Month (onewaytowonder.wordpress.com)
Are Picture Books Dead? (designmom.com)
Picture Book Recommendation: WUMBERS (nessamorris.com)
Perfect Picture Book Friday: Halloween (catherinemjohnson.wordpress.com)

Will The View and The Chew Be Replaced in 2012?

Posted on January 1, 2012 by viviankirkfield

Suicide rates in this country are alarming.

Domestic violence and child abuse stories are reported by the media every day.

People are angry and frustrated about foreign policy, the economy and lack of decent health care.

Tempers flare on roadways and in department stores and post offices.

A disconnect is taking place in every level of our society. Husbands and wives don’t communicate with each other. Parents don’t communicate with their children. Children don’t communicate with parents, siblings and classmates.

Perhaps we are descending into an electronic black hole where people will no longer know how to talk to each other face-to-face. Everywhere you look fingers are flying on computers and electronic devices.

Television shows like The View and The Chew attempt to enable viewers to simulate sitting down with friends or family members and chatting about what is happening or how they are feeling.

The simulation is not working and people need to rediscover how to communicate with one another.

Perhaps The View should be replaced by The Clue, a show with a panel of parenting experts who address the problem of communication between family members, friends and co-workers. Learning how to communicate includes knowing how to listen as well as knowing when to talk and what to say.

The Chew is a fairly new show that adds cooking activities to the celebrity chatter. How about replacing it with The Do, a show where the hosts and a small group of children read a picture book story, do a quick and easy craft project and prepare a healthful child-friendly recipe together. Children watching the show at home would enjoy hearing the story and observing the kids on TV interacting with each other. Parents at home would see how valuable such simple activities can be in building self-esteem, developing reading readiness skills and providing their children with a fun-filled day. These are the same activities parents and teachers will find in my award-winning book, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking. To ring in the New Year, we are offering FREE SHIPPING on our website if you order a copy of the book in the next thirty days.

Do you want to start off the year building your child’s self-esteem and developing your child’s literacy skills? The book is endorsed by parents, educators, self-esteem experts and national organizations such as the JDRF and will give you great story suggestions and quick and easy activities. Grab a copy now and make 2012 a fun-filled self-esteem building year for your family.

Will The View be replaced by The Clue? Will TV sponsors opt for The Do instead of The Chew? That probably won’t happen. But parents can take some simple steps in 2012:

Sit down together as a family for dinner every night (or as often as possible).
Plan a family talk and listen time…some families have a talking stick…whoever is holding the stick is the one who has the floor.
Work on family projects together…everyone should be responsible for certain chores…even young children.
Arrange special events that the whole family can enjoy that don’t cost a lot of money…a nature hike to a local park where everyone helps pick up litter; a summer picnic of sandwiches and lemonade on a blanket in the living room in the middle of the winter.

How do you promote good communication in your family? I’d love to hear.