Summer: Kids' Keys To Success

The start of a new week and we are entering the busiest time of the year-- summer. I looked at the calender and all our weekends are booked through the second week of August. It's nuts; what happened to the "lazy days of summer"? Even when the calender says "summer", in upstate NY it doesn't necessarily mean the corresponding season. We have to smoosh all the parties, family times, etc. into a slot that has the highest possibility of "nice" weather. Which is really maybe three mystery weekends out of the summer!

What is really nutty, is I am a pretty boring person and for me to have so many things planned is kind of crazy.

In all this craziness, does anyone have a solution to really slow down, decompress, de-stress in the summer? Share with me some suggestions and I'll be your best friend!

As far as news from Kids' Keys, I'll be interviewing Meglena Antonova this week! I am so excited! Just the few times I have talked or emailed, it seems like she is an old friend! Meglena has written a children's book: "The Golden Fish". It is an updated version of an Eastern European fairy tale.

This book is perfectly set up for a discusion with your child about "happiness" in your life and the choices we make. A WAHM or a mom who home schools will really love this new variety of book!

Meglena makes it super easy for parents because she even offers questions for both parents and kids right along with the story!

Check out her excerp...

"This is one of my favourite fairy tales which originated in Eastern European folklore.Back in the 19th century, the great Alexander Pushkin retold it in a poem. The Russians dramatized it in a sweet 15 min animation during the 1950s and there are a few versions floating on various Internet web sites at the present moment. This is my spin on a timeless story with a memorable, true-to-life ending (I have never been one for the sugary kind).

For those of you unfamiliar with the twists and turns an Eastern European fairy tale is likely to offer... here is a primer, so you know what to expect.

Abandon all rules!
You are now in a world that knows no boundaries, respects no limitations and demands the impossible.

The hero will be put to tests that challenge common sense, the punishment for failure will be severe but the rewards will be more than worth the effort.

Life was hard for the common man and that shows in the stories that most tribes passed down to their children. Going up against a dragon, confronting a witch or searching for a cure in another world was the easy part. Surviving the wrath of a local tyrant, dividing the family fortune or living in peace with your neighbour... now that, was tricky!

Often people wished for miraculous solutions. And that’s how a wide spread myth emerged: that magical creatures dwell deep in the forests or in the waters of the lakes and sea. They somehow know things about the hero that nobody else does, they have the power to make any wish come true and sometimes possess magical objects that either transform the shape of the hero or deliver valuables like food and gold.

Among the most famous stories that children and grown-ups equally love is “The Golden Fish”. It would appear that the fantasy was all about rising out of poverty and settling into a happy life...

Not so fast!

There is a hidden test, weaved between the lines. Read for yourself to find out how well you would have handled the same challenges.

Still curious about the plot but not convinced you can handle the curves?

OK... Here is the snapshot:
When a pour old fisherman catches a magical golden fish, she agrees to grant him three wishes if he would save her life (yes! the fish is a girl! she has powers - she must be). The good man shows mercy and is rewarded with more wealth than he knows what to do with. And that’s when trouble starts...
Did I mention he had a very greedy wife?

Strictly for your viewing pleasure, I made sure to enlist the talent of a spectacular illustrator whose flair for the dramatic rivals that of the Renaissance maestros... I have a feeling she may have been one in a previous life. Lisa Dong gets sole credit for transforming the fantasy inside my mind into the vibrant world that you will feel tempted to step into.

The book was created on 100% recycled paper using waterless printing. Great for the environment and great for the reader. No toxic residue and no guilt over killing trees. The pages are thicker than regular paper and can take the abuse a children's book should expect to undergo. The size is 7" x 9".

You can read it to a child as young as 4 or 5 but it can also serve as practical reading for 3rd or 4th graders. Relevant questions about the child's personal reaction to the story are spread throughout the pages to engage their interest."

----Meglena Antonova

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I will be posting tonight or tomorrow wthe exact time of the interview... Check back!