Happy Publishing Day JANINE !

JANINE IS NOW AVAILABLE!! 
 "this gentle portrayal of difference is powerful"-Review-Booklist

 Book Giveaway WEEK ONE WINNER:
Cindy Thayer, Milan,Ohio 
Book Giveaway WEEK TWO Begins! Please enter on right. See below for details.
Mark Your Calendar-You Are Invited! 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Meet Janine. She is one of a kind. She talks to her imaginary friends, reads the dictionary for fun, knows lots of big words and remembers, things-lots of things. She even has her own style of cheering! Some kids think she's strange and want her to change. They don’t want her to come to their COOL party unless she changes. Will she? 
Or will she stay her spectacular self? 
In this charming story, Maryann Cocca-Leffler uses her own daughter as inspiration for a delightfully spunky character. Janine Leffler, who gave her mother permission to tell her story about being a child with disabilities, focuses on the positive while navigating life with disabilities. She has become a role model to children and adults, encouraging them to focus on abilities and promoting respect, tolerance, and kindness.
ISBN # 978-0-8075-3754-1
Published by Albert Whitman & CO.
 BOOK GIVEAWAY!
To celebrate the publishing of JANINE on MARCH 1st we are giving away 5 Autographed Books, one book every Monday in March. To enter, just help us spread the word about JANINE on Facebook, Twitter or Email and then enter through the GIVEAWAY BOX on the right. We will randomly pick a winner each Monday. The winner will be contacted and the winner's Name and State will be posted here.
Week one winner : Cindy Thayer- OH
NEXT DRAWING: MARCH 9th.
(If you entered before, your name stays in the drawing.)
Locals...we hope to see you at the signing on March 28th. 

Reviews and Publishing Countdown

Janine publishes March 1st!
To Celebrate we'll be giving Away 1 
Autographed Book a week 
every Monday in March.
Entries open Feb 23. Stay tuned.

 Reviews are in and I'm thrilled: 
Here are some highlights from three reviews. 
(The entire reviews can be read on the BOOK link on this site.)

School Library Journal:
Bespectacled Janine reads the dictionary for fun, plays with invisible friends, enjoys singing on the bus, and is kind to everyone. ... The taunting classmate invites the “cool” kids to her birthday party, leaving Janine off the guest list and telling her, “You are STRANGE! You have to CHANGE!” Instead of feeling hurt or ostracized, Janine decides to host her own party in which no one will be excluded.... Gently dealing with a bully while remaining true to herself, Janine is an admirable character who doesn’t need to put someone else down in order to feel good about herself. VERDICT: A refreshing tale of being true to oneself.–

Publisher’s Weekly:-Leffler  introduces an unconventional girl named Janine who stays her own course, even though it deviates from those of her classmates. .... readers will have seen how Janine’s generosity and kindness have gradually won over her classmates, so it’s no surprise that all of them (save one) take her up on her offer. Cocca-Leffler’s portrayals of her heroine illuminate her thoughtfulness, resilience, and self-assuredness, and while the story’s message is far from subtle, it may encourage children who don’t fit in (and wouldn’t have it any other way).

 Kirkus Review: slightly new twist on the kid-getting-bullied story.Janine is certainly her own girl. .... It’s nice to examine how a group can choose kindness and thus take away a bully’s power. Charming illustrations highlight Janine’s independent style and unfailing optimism. Teachers looking for a positive solution should reach for this one. Children will enjoy knowing that Janine is actually the author’s daughter. An optimistic but nevertheless real solution to a common school problem.

                   Publishing Date Count Down....Janine Publishes MARCH 1.  
If you can't wait, JANINE can be pre-ordered at your Local Bookstore or on Amazon. com
Some Background on the book and it's inspiration:
 JANINE. is a book I have wanted to write for over 25 years, but the time was not right, until now. My daughter, Janine Leffler, the inspiration for my new picture book, has bravely given me permission to develop a character based on her life as a child with disabilities. Before now, I could not have written this book, because, in reality, it was not my story to write. Disclosing my daughter’s disabilities had to be my daughter’s decision. Now, as an adult, Janine has embraced her life and has become an amazing role model, one who focuses on the positives in life and uses her own experiences and stories to promote respect, tolerance and kindness.

Real Janine, 1st grade

Book Janine, 1st grade

As a child Janine was quite a character. She was always happy and outgoing with an amazing contagious upbeat attitude. She lit up a room with her smile. To this day she holds these attributes. Though she was teased and bullied, she used those moments to find strength in herself. She amazed and inspired me, and became my hero. I believe others with her challenges may have withdrawn from the world, but she did not. She learned to Stand Up for herself and would not allow others to get her down. 

Janine as a Pizza!
Early book dummy and sketches

"Different- not Less" is a quote by Temple Grandin when describing herself as an adult with Autism. It can also be used to describe Janine, and every child or adult out there with disabilities. Miss Grandin spends her life trying to change attitudes. It is our hope that through this book, we will help in that cause, starting with our young readers.   


We hope that this book, in our small way, will help society "come to a place where we understand that disability is part of human life and an aspect of diversity." -Larry Roberts, in Following Flame

It took years to bring this book out into the world. I have worked in publishing for over 30 years and I know that this book would not have been published 25 years ago. As a young mother, I remember searching for positive books for my daughter in which the main character had a disability. Besides a few books on Helen Keller, there wasn’t much out there.

Life has moved forward and thankfully, so has the publishing industry. Recently more books have been published in which the main character is a positive voice who happens to be disabled. (We have listed many great books in the 'Suggested Books' Link). Every child wants to see themselves in books including kids with disabilities. A big thanks to Albert Whitman & Co for publishing Janine. It's brave publishers like them who help increase tolerance and acceptance for all.

We look forward to sharing JANINE with our readers.
Stand Up and Inspire,
Maryann and Janine

Schneider Family Book Awards Announced

Janine's Party is proud to include the three winners of the The Schneider Family Book Awards to our suggested books. Just announced today, February 2nd, at the ALA Mid Winter Conference, all three of these books feature main characters who reflect a positive view of people with disabilities.

 The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.

Picturebook: A Boy and A Jaguar  (Stuttering)
Written by Alan Rabinowitz Illustrated by Catia Chien

 Middle Grade:  Reign Rain (Asperger's Syndrome) by Ann M. Martin

 Young Adult: Girls Like Us ( Special Needs) By Gail Giles 



Just in:   El Deafo wins the Newbury Honor!

 El Deafo  ( hearing impaired)  by Cece Bell 

 Congratulations!
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