Press Room : Appreciation Party Reviews
A few of the Moms Like Me readers expressed an interest in finding unique books for toddlers that go above and beyond “the princess is saved by the handsome prince and lives happily ever after” theme found in so many children’s books and movies.I recently came across two books that I think might be a perfect match for that request.
The Focus Friends’ books by Lisa Rey Marks (Illustrated by Eris Klein) offer a unique angle on kids’ books by helping teach them about positive attitudes and ways of thinking. The Focus Friends are a group of characters with “positive” names such as Joyann and Merrylou and Happylee. And the first book, called Joy is the Greatest Gift, focuses on finding Joy in everyday things. The second book, Appreciation Party, teaches kids that appreciation is a gift. In a world filled with the drive to have more and more material things that don’t always equal happiness, these books are a great way to teach kids to enjoy and appreciate the things around them that money can’t buy … the trees and birds and friends, etc.
We’ve been reading them to my 2 ½ year old for a few days and while she doesn’t quite get the concepts of joy and appreciation, she loves the artwork, which is amazingly beautiful and she is having fun pointing out the things in the books that she recognizes (trees, flowers, etc). Plus, she now loves say to JOY. My hope is that if we read them to her several times per week, she’ll develop a habit of noticing the wonderful things she does have, finding joy in the little things around her and appreciating and respecting those things as well.
Oh and I forgot to mention one of the best things about these books …
they were produced by a mom-owned company by moms just like us … no
pun intended : )
—Moms Like Me - Dallas / Fort Worth, November 2008
