Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore

I was so excited about being asked to work on the promotional campaign for Julianne Moore's new book - Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully.

One of the obvious reasons is because I've heard great things about Julianne Moore.

Another reason is that I've had a great friend since we were about 7 or 8 who has red hair and I remember that he hated it while we were growing up. Now he has a daughter with beautiful red hair.

The other reason is because I've had people pick on me for years for an unusual name (real name, not pen name), I've always been tall and have been 6'1 since I was 13 and I had braces for years. So, I can understand the tough time Freckleface has.

I think its great that Julianne has used her childhood experiences in a way that will help children deal with the things that make them different. Hopefully this story can also help other children understand that they should not pick on people just because they are different. We're all different from one another - we're so much better off if we appreciate the differences, but it seems that is hard for some people.


One rainy morning - Freckleface goes to Early Bird at her school. She loves Early Bird - but Windy Pants Patrick is also there and he's a bully. He picks on all the children - what will Freckleface Strawberry do?

Come along with Freckleface and see what she does in the face of a school bully.

I highly recommend this book for parents and their children. It give parents or other important adults a great opportunity to help children talk about how to deal with bullies and people who pick on them. Its also a great chance to teach children tolerance and caring about others.

LeUyen Pham is back to illustrate this second book in the Freckleface Strawberry series.

Frankie the Walk 'n Roll Dog by Barbara Techel

I have to start by saying this book is absolutely adorable. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean its filled with fluff. But, the "heroine" is a sweet little weiner dog. We learn about Frankie and how she came to live with her humans. Wouldn't we all like to hear what our pets think about the first time they met us? Frankie is a friendly dog who loves her humans and makes friends at a variety of places, including the local farmer's market.

The author, Barbara Gail Techel, shows us how the relationship between Frankie and her humans develops and one day, they leave town on a vacation. While they are out of town, Frankie and Kylie stay at the kennel and even though they miss the rest of their family, they are doing all right. One evening, Frankie gets a little rambunctious and she lands hard on the cement floor. She can't feel her back legs, but she feels stabbing pains in her back. The caretaker at the kennel takes Frankie to the vet and her family come back from their vacation when they hear about the accident.

Frankie has surgery, recovery and rehabilitation to get her back legs moving again. Even though Frankie feels better and gets back to being herself, but her back legs are not moving. Her mother finds a cart with wheels that allows Frankie to get around.

The later portion of the book is inspiring and deals with perceptions and concerns for anyone who is disabled. This is written in a simple fashion and contains beautiful pictures, but the points being made will benefit a reader and animal lover of any age. Any pet owner with a disabled pet should definitely check into the cart mentioned in this book. It is a wonderful way for an animal without the use of their hind legs to get around.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to meet an inspiring and unique heroine and who loves animals.

For more information, visit www.joyfulpaws.com
For information about the cart used by Frankie - visit www.eddieswheels.com


Nikki Leigh
www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm