Total Solar Eclipse of 2017

In honor of this awesome event, a roundup of books about the stars:

2018 ROUNDUP OF FAVORITES

STILL BEING UPDATED, CHECK BACK OFTEN! ​;)

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Stand Beautiful, by Chloe Howard, illustrated by Deborah Melmon
Zondervan, $16.99
Ages 2+, ALL AGES
Genre: picture book fiction, animals, self-esteem, disability, humor, love, friendship, growing, kindness, consideration, inspiration, encouragement, tackling fears, bullies, imperfections, EXACTLY WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS RIGHT NOW!

​   I love this picture book so much I immediately bought two as gifts, one for my daughter’s high school graduation, and one as a new baby gift. Simply put, I think every person who picks up this book can’t help but love it, because everyone EVERYONE can see themselves in one of the animal characters. Not only does the book promote kindness, it teaches kids to recognize feelings and emotions, it promotes self-esteem, and also breaks down bigger concepts into simple language, like bravery. “Stand beautiful,” is says, “Be true to who you are! And stand up for others. That’s standing beautiful.”
   A young girl starts out on a walk and visits friends while making new ones and spreading a message of being proud of who you are, from the inside out. From the first giraffe through a wide variety of animal characters and boys and girls, including a young boy in a wheelchair. And the author knows from experience how sometimes it’s hard to stand proud of who we are. Chloe Howard was born with a foot deformity that required five major operations by the time she was fifteen. Through her hardships, she is now on a mission to empower people of all ages to embrace their uniqueness and boldly  face their beautiful selves. Visit standbeautiful.me for more information about Chloe and her message.