I've been a bad blogger and haven't even posted photos of my classroom yet this year. Yikes! Part of the reason has to do with our kitty Stevie. (I'm going to take a minute for something personal here then get to the book review.) You may remember me mentioning him before. He was blind and somewhat deaf and had several other medical issues. Sadly his kidney disease got the better of him recently and we lost him last Tuesday. Our lives had been centered around him since June when we thought for sure he wouldn't make it much longer. We gave him subcutaneous fluids every day , them every other day, then 3 times a week. For a while he improved and was running, purring, and playing like the happiest kitty on Earth. Then things changed and he had a few seizures and just couldn't recover. We tried so hard to help him and he tried so hard to get better. He was only 4 1/2 years old. We miss him very much! Here's one of my favorite pictures of Stevie.
Now for some happier news... I'm having a giveaway! Woot! Woot! You have a chance to win one of 3 autographed copies of this adorable book that can help you celebrate Red Ribbon Week. It's called
Sarah's Sick Day is about a little girl named Sarah who wakes up one morning with a sore throat and fever. Her mom tells her she needs to stay home from school that day. The problem is that it's Share Day and Sarah really wants to share her birthday doll plus she'd miss snack time with her best friend, storytime, and it's her day to sit on the class beanbag. So Sarah remembers about the purple medicine in the cabinet and thinks that she'll just take a sip to help make herself feel better. Luckily she can't get the cap off and mom comes in just in time. She explains about the danger of taking medicine by yourself. Sarah promises never to do that again and mom lovingly tucks Sarah back in bed with her birthday doll.
I received an email from the author of Sarah's Sick Day, Erainna Winnett, asking if I would like a signed copy of her book in exchange for blogging about it. I looked at her website and watched the trailer for the book (which you can see HERE) and quickly replied YES!
This is a very sweet story and I'm looking forward to reading it to my class during Red Ribbon Week. I like that it addresses the issue of taking medicine rather than illegal drugs or alcohol. For a few years in my first grade room I would bring up friend trying to make friends take drugs and the dangers of alcohol then the hands would come up and I'd hear stories of "my neighbor who smokes marijuana" "my dad gets drunk sometimes". And I feel bad that some kiddos don't know about drugs and drinking too much and I don't want to be the one to tell them about. Right or wrong, I want the innocent ones to stay innocent a while longer. But I feel this book touches on something very pertinent for little kids and it seems very likely that K-2 kids could try to take medicine from the medicine cabinet on their own.
Erainna has graciously offered 3 autographed copies of Sarah's Sick Day for a giveaway. The giveaway only goes for a couple of days so that your books can be mailed out to you very soon.
If you're a pre-K to 2nd grade teacher, you definitely want this book! It's also for sale on Amazon and you can access her website HERE.
Good Luck!
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I love to have the students make a list of good things and bad things and make a poster/anchor chart to hang in the room.
ReplyDeletethanks for the chance!
kellybrown28021@gmail.com
Thanks, Kelly! Love your idea! I was thinking of a similar thing this year. Maybe a chart of ways to stay safe and healthy.
ReplyDelete--Chrissy
God bless your little, Stevie:) It sounds like he brought you guys lots of joy. That's a beautiful picture, too!
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I've never heard of Red Ribbon Week. I guess it's not a Canadian thing:) But I'd definitely read the book to my kids if I won. We'd have a Grand Conversation and then I'd have them draw a pic representing their learning. Thanks for the chance to win, Chrissy!
Deletebeleyne@gmail.com
I am sorry about your cat, I lost my cat in June to diabetes and kidney disease. I am not familiar with red ribbon week.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about Stevie. He was lucky to have you in his life giving him so much love, just as you were the lucky ones to share his happier times. As to Red Ribbon Week, since we've just finished up on Community Workers, I like to make big Red Ribbons and put the kinders' photos inside each one. On one of the ribbon strings, they pick one thing they are good at and on the other string, they write what they want to when they grow up. We hang them on our door with a sign that says "We're all WINNERS because we have DREAMS and PRIDE in ourselves!'
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about Stevie. He looks so much like my little kitty girl! I can't imagine life without her! Sorry I missed the chance to win that book, it looks great!
ReplyDeleteJenny