The Flightless Goose Book Review

When I volunteered to review a new children's book I had no idea what a treat that I was in for.  The Flightlesss Goose is based on a true story.  The story is written by Eric Goodman and beautifully illustrated in watercolor by his wife Nataliya.  The book is Published by The Writer's Lair Books.

The title cues you in on the book's story.  The author has taken the story of a goose to help teach children that we are all different and have different talents or gifts.  This is not a story with a fairytale ending however is a story with a realistic, true and honest ending that can give hope to adults and children alike.  The author uses the book to show children that no matter what our limitations might be each of us has a gift and we need to use it.  I would encourage educators, parents, grandparents and anyone who has a child in their life to check out this book.  I would say it would be a must have for any school library.  Check out The Flightless Goose  which is a fun site offering a sneak peek into this amazing book and The Writer's Lair Books for information on the book from the publisher.  The book is hardback and retails for $15.95 and is available for purchase through The Flightless Goose Website   and Amazon. A fun read-a-long CD is available through the book's website.

I love giving books as gifts so don't forget that this would make an excellent Christmas gift for children or teachers!

*Disclosure:  I was given a copy of the book and audio CD in exchange for my honest review.  I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Dove Self-Esteem Campaign, Thank You for Making a Difference!

As the parent of a tween daughter, I cannot say how much I appreciate Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty.  We have always been Dove users thanks to my husband's sensitive skin and I can say that I am proud to be a part of what they are doing to increase self esteem in our youth. 
As Moms we were all young once and know the pressures that girls face in regards to beauty.  Fast-forward to motherhood and you will see that your daughters have all the pressures we faced coupled with multiple media outlets spreading it further than ever before.  We have always told my daughter and that she is perfect since God created her the way he wanted her to be.  I am so thankful that she will come home and openly talk to me about self-esteem issues.  She is tiny by nature and we both had a good healthy laugh when she came home one day and asked me if she was anorexic because a  friend  had a book with pictures of girls who were and they could see their ribcage and she said she could see her ribcage too.  We had a good discussion on the difference between being small and having an eating disorder.  It wasn't much later that she hit a growth spurt and noticed her clothes getting a little snug and said "am I getting fat?"  It is sad that it was the first thing she would ask.  We had to laugh again because I told her at 60lbs she is far from fat!  I also talked to her about growing and that there was no need for her to worry about her weight or size as long as she was eating right and staying active.

ABOUT THE DOVE® SELF-ESTEEEM FUND

(Copied directly from Dove's Press Release)

Too many girls and young women develop low self-esteem from hang-ups about looks and consequently fail to reach their full potential in later life. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF) was established as an agent of change to inspire and educate girls and young women about a wider definition of beauty. The DSEF is committed to help girls build positive self-esteem and a healthy body image, with a goal of reaching 5 million girls globally by 2010. It has already reached 2 million young women.

The Dove Self-Esteem Fund is part of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, a global effort designed to widen today’s stereotypical view of beauty. In the U.S., the DSEF supports the Boys and Girls Club of America and the Girls Scouts of the USA to help build confidence in girls 8-17 with after-school programs, self-esteem building events and educational resources. In the United Kingdom and other countries, the Fund supports Body Talk, an educational program about body image and self-esteem in schools. Since 2006, the Dove brand has conducted nearly 2,700 self-esteem educational workshops around the world.

Please watch this short video to find out more about Dove's efforts and next time you go shopping for Soap, Shampoo, Deodorant  or Beauty products reach for Dove and assist them in their efforts to build confidence in our children.



Please feel free to leave your comments sharing your self-esteem stories.

*No monetary compensation was provided for this post.  As a participant in the Dove Campaign I was given Dove products and True You workbooks.  This post was my own opinion and was not impacted by the products I received.