For Children with Love Books by Catherine Gibson

*Disclosure: I received a copy of books by author Catherine Gibson to review. All opinions are our own.*

For Children With Love was founded by Catherine Gibson. She decided through her experiences and the experiences of many others that came into her life and touched her heart that she had to give back. She does this under the For Children With Love banner giving proceeds of every book to various charities.

To do this, Catherine Gibson writes books with a positive message, teaching love and acceptance of others.

We received two of her books to review: Coach Bob & Me and What’s Your Something Special. Because of the language, length and concepts, both books are best suited for mid-elementary school and up (ages 7 +).

Coach Bob & Me

Here’s what the website says:
High school can be tough, especially when you don’t feel like you’re part of the team. That’s the situation Stefan found himself in and he probably would have stayed there forever. But a wheelchair-bound coach saw more in Stefan than he saw in himself. Coach Bob’s encouragement changed everything for Stefan and the boy learned a valuable lesson that benefits everyone who knows it.
Beautiful full color illustrations enhance this wonderful story of overcoming obstacles and gaining confidence.

When you Read Coach Bob & Me

One of the main themes found in this book is about goal setting. A lot of younger children might not know what a goal is. This might be a new concept, so be sure to explain it.

When you read this book with your child, ask the following questions:
What does it mean to have a goal? What is a goal?
What is your biggest goal?
What do you want to go for?

Pick a goal you want to work towards this month, and let’s start doing it!
My kids love goal setting. Each season we pick a different goal for them to work on. Sometimes it is cursive writing, or it could be learning a new bike trick! It doesn’t matter what it is, they pick!

What’s Your Something Special?

Here’s what the website says:
Samantha was special. But sometimes she just wanted to be like the other kids who could run and jump and play. Samantha’s wheelchair didn’t allow her to do any of those things. One day, a mysterious circus magician gave her a pair of sunglasses that helped her see things a different way. In the process, she found it was her heart, not her wheelchair that made her special.
Beautifully illustrated, What’s Your Something Special? shows the power of perseverance and puts children on the road to discovering the unique qualities inside each of us.

When you Read What’s Your Something Special?

The main theme in this book is discovering what makes you special and unique and how you can use that something special to make the world a better place.

Ask these questions when you read the book:
What is something special about you?
How can you use that something special to make the world a better place? How can you use it at school? With your friends?
What do you think is something special about your siblings? Your friends?

These books would be great to use in a classroom or with a community group like Guiding, Scouting and Sunday School to generate conversation.

These books, and others from Catherine Gibson can be ordered online.