A Picture Book That Inspires Kids To Do Anything

Hiya!

Us kids have the most wonderful imaginations, right? We play pretend and believe ourselves to be an archeologist studying artifacts or a veterinarian helping animals. When you are little like us, there are no limits to what you can be and do! But, every now and then, a tiny voice comes in our heads that says we can’t do something or be someone. (We’re told grown-ups get this voice in their heads, too).

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In the recent book, I Can Be Anything! Don’t Tell Me I Can’t, author and illustrator Diane Dillon tells the tale of Zoe, a young girl exploring the different professions she can be when she grows up. Throughout the book, Zoe combats a negative little voice in her head that says, “But what if you fail?” Zoe heroically tells the voice things like, “Go away, voice… I can be anything… but first, I have to learn to read. And don’t tell me I can’t!”

You go, Zoe! Through her experience, we can learn to not give too much power to our negative thoughts. That if we have confidence and faith in ourselves, we can make all our dreams come true!

🙂

Jonzi & Jiji

 

Gululu Is Helping Kids Drink More Water

Hiya!

We love thoughtful products that benefit kids… especially when they are products that keep kids drinking clean water! Gululu is doing just that. They created these super cool interactive water bottles that have children care for virtual pets. As the child drinks more water, their virtual pet grows and makes friends. It’s so fun! Plus, Gululu’s bottles are a great way to target the problems that come from dehydration like fatigue, obesity, and lack of concentration—all things that make learning difficult.

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The brand just came out with their Gululu Go line that is smaller, lighter, and easier for kids to carry. Also, these new bottles come with a sound speaker that lets the virtual pets talk with children.

Best of all, each purchase of a Gululu bottle provides one child in a developing country with clean drinking water for life. The company partnered up with Generosity.org to make this happen. Isn’t that awesome?

To find out more about Gululu, click here!

🙂

Jonzi & Jiji

How Clean Water Changed A Village In Africa

Hiya!

On this #TopicTuesday, we are thinking about clean water and how fortunate we are here in the United States to have access to it whenever we want. Some people around the world are not so lucky.

Playpumps

In Dream Village’s first book, Saved by the Well, we talk about the water struggles of a small village in Mozambique, Africa. The people in that village had to walk for miles each day to a river just to get it! Luckily, PlayPumps came to the rescue and created a fun solution that let the villagers access clean water whenever they needed it.

One of our young readers left us a really cool review on Facebook, saying that the book, “Opens your eyes to other people’s reality.” Click here to watch the full clip!

🙂

Jonzi & Jiji

See How These Awesome Kids Are Raising Awareness About Hair Donations

Hiya!

Today, we are thinking about hair and smiling. Why? Well, kids do amazing things, like donating their hair to help others! Just like the story in the upcoming book, Today’s the Day, where we see Juliet donating her hair to help her best friend Siona, here are the inspiring tales of two young girls that wanted to make a difference through hair.

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Anna Beck is a 10-year-old girl who lost her little sister, Jette, to a brain tumor last year. At the time, Jette was just 3-years-old and full of love for Barbies, Disney World, and the movie Frozen. Anna wanted to honor Jette, so one night she came across an event for Wigs for Kids, an organization that provides hair replacement systems and support for children who have lost their hair as a result of chemotherapy or radiation treatments. Despite only having trims in the past, Anna donated 12 inches of her hair at the event before she had her head completely shaved. Her two brothers, Trevor and Darrius, joined their sister and shaved their heads. Anna’s classmate, Reagan Helmick, helped raise $4,100 for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a nonprofit that uses donations towards childhood cancer research.

Anna is in good company. Across the world in London, 9-year-old Mercedes set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for The Princess Trust, which provides real hair wigs to children and young adults under the age of 24 who have lost their hair to cancer and other illnesses. Mercedes surpassed her £350 fundraising goal, and plans to cut her hair on June 27th. She says on her page that she wants to donate to the organization because, “Every little girl is a princess.”

Way to go Anna and Mercedes! We are so inspired by you two. Just further proof of kids doing great things!

In addition to Wigs for Kids and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, here are some other organizations to consider donating your hair:

Locks of Love: A public non-profit organization that gives hairpieces to kids under the age of 21 who are enduring long-term medical hair loss and facing financial difficulties.

Children with Hair Loss: A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that offers hair replacements at no cost to children and young adults impacted by medically-induced hair loss.

Hair We Share: A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that provides human hair wigs to children and teens suffering from medical hair loss.

Pantene Beautiful Lengths: An organization that partners with the American Cancer Society® Wig Bank to make and distribute wigs to help women battling cancer.

🙂

Jonzi & Jiji