I Am, Too!

 



I have a dear friend, Jennifer Hendrick Davies, whom I'm incredibly proud of!  Jennifer and I met a long time ago in junior high and we have been friends since.  She is such an amazing woman of God and has been like a sister to me, encouraging me and just being there despite the fact that we are on opposite coasts!  Given all this, I am so excited to share that she has written a book!

I Am, Too! is a phenomenal children's book that talks about finding common ground, and ultimately friendship in spite of differences.  Jennifer says, "My inspiration for writing this book was that I observed after working in the school system that children do not see each others' differences the way adults sometimes do; they just see each others' similarities and the fun they can have with each other."  To view the book on amazon, click here. 

As a parent, I'm always looking for great resources for my kids and I truly believe this book is incredibly valuable.  It deals with disabilities and that is something close to my heart since I struggle with fibromyalgia.  What's more, one of our boys was diagnosed as having a learning disability last year.  That invisible disability has made his life so difficult, but his relationships with some true friends have been so healing for him because they love to just play together and it gives him a chance to just be a kid.

My kids are really aware of hardships between their exposure to my illness and our experience as a foster family.  I've never wanted to shelter them too much (though they only know the age appropriate details about the fostering situations!) because it helps teach them compassion and understanding.  We are lucky in this sense because we have ample opportunities to work on it, but short of our atypical situation, object lessons aren't always that easy to come by (and even then, my kids still need more!) which is why I love this book!

 

I think this book with it's encouraging message and fun, friendly illustrations will only increase awareness that differences don't exclude the possibility of friendship and that we should focus on what we can do instead of what we can't.  It is a great discussion starter for teachers too.  I Am, Too! is definitely worth a read with your family!  Check it out here.