My Brother Is Special: A Cerebral Palsy Story by Murray Stenton

Ethan is a big brother like no other!

Life with a special need child has its fair share of challenges. These challenges are not only for the parents, but extend to those other wonderful little children, the siblings. This book helps shine some light on the difficulties and the job siblings special needs children experience every day. It is a light-hearted take of one little boy’s thoughts of his big brother Ethan, who was born with Cerebral Palsy.

Rating: 5 out of 5 fairies

Review: I really loved this book. It’s a great way to introduce kids to cerebral palsy, as well as teaching them about how it’s OK to be different. The narrator gives a great kid’s perspective on being the sibling of someone who is different. The ups, the downs, and the unconditional love that’s always there. As someone with special needs, and the older sister of someone with special needs, I really appreciate this fun approach to the topic.

About the author
From an early age, Murray was artistic. His favorite pastime was and still is doodling cute and fun little characters. As Murray entered the working world he utilized his natural creative talent in his graphic design profession. Illustrating being his true love, Murray started looking for freelance illustration work. Murray had no idea that answering a Kijiji ad would help his long time ambitions come to life. A well-known children’s book author and disability advocate, Jewel Kats gave him a shot at illustrating one of her children’s books. That experience gave Murray the courage to pursue other illustration contracts. Murray had an instant connection to Jewel, through the world of physical disability. Murray’s oldest son Ethan had a stroke at birth causing CP and other life altering conditions. With his new found courage and through the help of Victor R. Volkman and Loving Healing Press Murray brings this wonderful story to children everywhere. Murray’s hope is those siblings of children with disabilities will know they too are not alone.

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Prince Preemie: A Tale of a Tiny Puppy Who Arrives Early by Jewel Kats (Author), Claudia Marie Lenart (Illustrator)

The King and Queen of Puppy Kingdom are joyfully awaiting the arrival of their Prince. But the couple and their kingdom are thrown into upheaval when it is learned that Prince Puppy will arrive early, before his important crown is completed. How can they call him Prince without a crown? Discover how the King solves this problem in Prince Preemie: A Tale of a Tiny Puppy Who Arrives Early. Children will be swept away into this dreamy, fairy tale land of adorable dogs created from wool.

Available to buy from….

Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk    Barnes and Noble   Paperback

From Loving Healing Press http://www.lhpress.com/

“As the mother of two children born preterm, I can relate to the sorrow and joy that Prince Preemie’s parents faced at his early arrival. Through magical writing and illustrations Jewel Kats and Claudia Marie Lenart once again help children of all abilities and their families understand the special gifts that are inside each one of us.” –Kelli Kelley, Founder and Exec. Director, HandtoHold.org — Fragile Babies, Strong Support

“Prince Preemie is a sweet book that offers a good way to start conversations with a preemie child about their early birth. The story hints at the stress and fear that comes with having a child prematurely, but leaves the reader feeling hopeful.” –Andrea Mullenmeister, writer at AnEarlyStartBlog.com

“The arrival of a premature baby can be confusing for a young child. In this delightful dog kingdom, Jewel Kats has created a teaching tool that normalizes the situation. Claudia Marie Lenart’s illustrations look cuddly, every child will love them and be drawn into the story of Prince Preemie even without the words.” –Bob Rich, PhD, psychologist, author of Anger and Anxiety: Be In Charge of Your Emotions and Control Phobias

“Prince Preemie is a feel good book — the story is one of inspiration, determination and acceptance. It reminds us that there is always hope and that with optimism, dedication and love you can create the good and happiness into every situation you face.” –Robin Marvel, author of Framing a Family: Building a Foundation to Raise Confident Children

About the author

Once a teen runaway, Jewel Kats is now a two-time Mom’s Choice Award winner. For six years, Jewel penned a syndicated teen advice column for Scripps Howard News Service (USA) and The Halifax Chronicle Herald. She gained this position through The Young People’s Press. She’s won $20,000 in scholarships from Global Television Network, and women’s book publisher: Harlequin Enterprises. Jewel also interned in the TV studio of Entertainment Tonight Canada. Her books have been featured in Ability Magazine (USA) twice. She’s authored eight books-five are about disabilities. The Museum of disABILITY History celebrated her work with a two-day event. Jewel has appeared as an international magazine cover story four times! Recently, her work was featured in an in-depth article published in “The Toronto Star”. Jewel’s work has also appeared as an evening news segment on WKBW-TV and on the pages of “The Buffalo News”.

Find the author on the following sites…

Website   Facebook   Twitter   Goodreads   Amazon author page

About the illustrator
Claudia Marie Lenart is a fiber artist from northern Illinois. She experimented in the arts and handwork since childhood and while pursuing a career as a journalist. She finally found her true muse when she discovered needle felting. Her soft sculpture characters are created by repeatedly poking wool and other natural fibers, like alpaca, with a barbed needle. Claudia pioneered a distinct style of illustrating books using needle felted wool to create illustrations as well as a variety of other techniques including wet felting and pressed wool painting.  Connect on Twitter

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I received this book through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own.