If you are looking for a story about understanding aging, disabilities, acceptance, and compassion, this Amazon #1 Best Seller in four categories (Multigenerational Families, Aging Parents & Eldercare, Children’s Maturing Books, and Children’s Camping Books), is the book for you. This multi-award-winning children’s book in categories including disability awareness and special needs, is beautifully illustrated taking place in a mountain setting with nature all around. It is a sweet story to help explain the impacts of aging and disabilities in general. It is about a boy and his grandpa as they are trekking on a Colorado trail where little Joey sees his grandpa is acting differently. What Joey doesn’t understand is that Grandpa is experiencing disabilities that come along with aging. Joey misinterprets Grandpa’s inability to do what he could do with him in the past as a reflection on him, questioning whether his grandpa still loves him anymore. Misunderstandings such as this are common and require communication to get the big, the true picture of what really is happening. This is a multigenerational story which is wonderful for parents, grandparents, teachers, and friends to read to with children leading discussion on how easily situations can be misunderstood.
Sonja Lange Wendt is an award-winning author of the Cultivating Compassion in Children books series. Her books are intergenerational and address important and sometimes difficult topics with children on inclusion, acceptance, disabilities, bullying and aging. Serina and Seymour Seed kick off and end each story. Seymour and Serina are the seeds of compassion children have, but sometimes they need planting and nurturing to cultivate the best in them. Through increasing awareness, understanding and discussion, these books teach that using compassion in different situations shows kindness in the greatest way in this sometimes difficult to navigate world.
Sonja uses a variety of setting and characters from grandparents, little girl, little boy, and bugs to engage children in the stories. The settings all include nature and the outdoors. Each story ends with thought provoking questions to be asked by the adult and discussed with the child.
These books are generally fitting for children ages 4-8 but as C.S. Lewis states, “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” Her books are brilliantly illustrated with vivid colors and scenery.
This book (in eBook format) is FREE today and a great book for Father's Day. It addresses compassion and understanding disabilities, especially those that come with aging. Little children, and even adults, tend to think we will be the same forever. But we all change with age and our bodies start to break down. Children can misunderstand grandparents they love. It could be that grandpa is talking really loud acting like he's mad when he's just getting used to new hearing aids. Maybe it's he can't run and climb like he used to last year and a child may misunderstand and think he is not interested in playing with him anymore. Grandpa may be using walking sticks hiking or a cane when he never did before. Grandpa might make strange faces trying to read something using his new pair of glasses. Understanding that grandpa is aging and disabilities that might come with it shows understanding, compassion and love. This would be a great Father's Day gift for a grandpa from their grandchild.
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