Do you love horses and stories filled with courage and inspiration? Young, Deanie Humphreys was born a preemie with the debilitating disease called cerebral palsy. At birth, a portion of her brain was damaged. The result was that Deanie had difficulty walking. Now, for most kids, this would be enough to limit their physical activities for life. But Deanie’s father made a huge decision that changed her life. He said, “I’m going to teach you to ride, and you’ll be fine.”

That single decision changed Deanie’s life forever. Deanie took her first steps at four years old. With the grit and determination of someone much older than herself, she set out to prove the doctors wrong. And, let me tell you. Deanie’s journey is filled with the hopes and joys that only reaching for your dreams and succeeding can bring. It was the ability to ride a horse that gave Deanie the freedom and normality she craved.

"My Life at Sweet Briar: A Life Changed by Horses," is Deanie’s story based on memories and photos from her childhood. The book is written for children of all ages and filled with the kind of stories that everyone can easily relate to. The underlying theme is clear – perseverance pays off - never give up on your dreams.

I laughed and cried with the young Deanie, and I felt her pain at not being like the other kids. This is the kind of book you want to read and discuss with your children, talking about empathy for those who are different; while at the same time, encouraging children to not just accept their lot in life. The author writes:

“…it is wise to use your challenges to motivate you toward your goals because when you’ve conquered one obstacle, you’ve gained the confidence to tackle your next challenge.”

Also, at the back of the book, the author provides a quiz for the reader to pull from their memory the finer points of the story. Answers are provided giving an additional learning opportunity.

I loved this sweet story of courage in the face of adversity. It was a poignant retelling of perseverance and motivation to never give up on your dreams. Deanie Humphrys-Dunne is a real champion and motivator. Her journey will inspire you to reach for the stars.
… (plus d'informations)

Signalé

ColleenChesebro | Jan 2, 2018 |

Charlene the Star and Bentley Bulldog par Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Charlene The Star and Bentley Bulldog - by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne is the newest release in her children’s adventure books.

Among some of the characters in this enchanting adventure include Charlene The Star (a horse) from Jumping For Joy Farms who is a competitive jumper, Mary Harris who is Charlene’s owner and rider, Hattie the chicken who loves to wear bonnets, and Bentley the bull dog who learns a valuable lesson about bullying.

Charming animals with unique personalities teach children life lessons on having proper manners, the value of friendships, sportsmanship, accepting and owning our mistakes, apologizing and making amends when we have hurt someone, and even when winning there is always room for improvement.

Parents and teachers should know that at the end of the book there are 8 questions and answers that challenge the child to remember what they have read (enhancing reading comprehension) and congratulates them for what they do remember.

Delightful hand drawn illustrations by Holly Humphrys-Bajaj bring the story and characters to life.

Other adventures that are available include Charlene The Star, Charlie The Horse, Charlene The Star and Hattie’s Heroes and Tails Of Sweetbrier.

Cold Coffee Press endorses ‘Charlene The Star and Bentley Bulldog’ along with author Deanie Humphrys-Dunne other books as educational tools with pure reading enjoyment for young impressionable minds. We obtained a PDF copy of this book from the author. The review was completed on December 26, 2014. For more information please visit Cold Coffee Press at http://www.coldcoffeepress.com… (plus d'informations)

Cet avis a été signalé par plusieurs utilisateurs comme abusant des conditions d'utilisation et n'est plus affiché (show).

Signalé

coldcoffeepress | Jan 17, 2015 |

Tails of Sweetbrier par Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne started her life journey in Easton, CT. Tails Of Sweetbrier by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne is not just another horse tale. Sweetbrier is real a horseback riding school owned by Deanie’s dad in a time where the magic of family, friends and the love of horses inspired a young girl with Cerebral Palsy to pursue the dream to jump horses.

Deanie’s father never settled for the limitations that the doctors warned him of when his 3 year old daughter wasn’t walking, instead he put his fragile young daughter on her own first freckled gray pony named Little Man and gave her the gift of freedom of movement.

With this freedom of movement and the faith her father instilled, Deanie learned that with disability comes ability and her tenacity would one day make her a champion jumper. Deanie Humphrys-Dunne was a champion before she met her horse Peach, but together they became a winning team.

I always quote a passage from each book that I review. I choose this one from page 52-53 because Deanie is talking in her own gentle way, telling her young readers about her horse Peach.

“Do you know what she liked to do for fun?
Well, sometimes she grazed in the pastures, or she would go out in the riding ring to run, or to roll around in the sand. Horses really like rolling in the dirt. They especially like doing it after you worked hard to groom them!
Guess what else Peach really enjoyed?
She liked visiting her favorite friends. Holly’s pony Dark N Fancy was her “boyfriend.” She must have liked the short, dark and handsome type. He was black, too, but he had white on his legs and an uneven white blaze on his head. She might have been impressed with his talent too, because he was an excellent jumper with courage and style. Holly would take him in the same shows as Peach and I entered, but they went in different events. They a cute “couple.”
Sometimes Peach would be out in the riding ring just relaxing, or maybe getting nice and dirty rolling in the sand. What happened if she saw Dark N Fancy grazing in the pasture?
She jumped the fence so they could play together!”

Tails Of Sweetbrier by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne is not only an amazing story, but it serves as a testimony to other children and parents of children with disabilities that life is worth living. Deanie’s father gave her the gift of freedom of movement and now Deanie tells the world as an author of 5 award winning books. Deanie brings her love of horses to life in stories and the lessons of this father and daughter that should not be forgotten over time.

Facts from the CDC:
“Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in childhood”
“Population-based studies from around the world report prevalence estimates of CP ranging from 1.5 to more than 4 per 1,000 live births or children of a defined age range. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6).”
“About 1 in 323 children has been identified with CP according to estimates from CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network.”

Data & Statistics for Cerebral Palsy from the CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/data.html

For more information about Kids and Cerebral Palsy visit
http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/brain/cerebral_palsy.html

Facts about Cerebral Palsy from the CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/facts.html

Deanie dedicates this book to her family who always encouraged her and to her dad, who made the decision that changed her life forever. She thanks her sister, Holly, whose beautiful illustrations bring the story to life in this book and in her other books Charlie The Horse, Charlene The Star, Charlene The Star and Bentley Bulldog and Charlene The Star and Hattie’s Heroes.

Cold Coffee Press Endorses Tails Of Sweetbrier by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne for her unwavering courage as a child, compassion for horses and gentle story telling that helps kids and adults alike see possibilities in the face of disability. We reviewed this book from a Kindle/PDF format and the review was completed on September 12, 2015. For more information contact Cold Coffee Press. http://www.coldoffeepress.com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1612861822/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&a...… (plus d'informations)

Cet avis a été signalé par plusieurs utilisateurs comme abusant des conditions d'utilisation et n'est plus affiché (show).

Signalé

coldcoffeepress | Sep 13, 2015 |

Voir davantage de critiques