new for us friday: book giveaway and relay

Things have been crazier than crazy over here lately, as we're gearing up for our annual Relay for Life, trying to plan our fundraisers, and enjoying our fleeting springtime on top of it all.

Last year, our team rocked it with our Cinco de Mayo Fundraiser which not only was a blast but also proved to bring in a good chunk of change for Team Scott. However, this year, with a new teething, fluffy, sock-stealing, trouble-making baby on our hands, a big par-tay with a packed house is just not going to happen.

Instead, Team Scott is totally excited to have joined forces with a talented writer and illustrator from our ole stompin' ground in the Keystone State. Together, we're getting the word out on their awesome book (and giving one away to a lucky teachmama reader!) and we're working together to raise money for Team Scott.

So this New For Us Friday shares the way we've combined some of our favorite things around here--books and learning--with something we feel passionately about-- raising money for cancer research through the Relay for Life.

Here's the skinny:

• In Mommy's Garden, Book Review (and Giveaway!): Written by Neyal Ammary-Risch and illustrated by Christopher Risch, In Mommy's Garden is an award-winning book designed to help explain cancer to young children. But it's not just any book that explains cancer to young children--this one is hands-down awesome.
  

With bright colors and soft illustrations, In Mommy's Garden uses the analogy of weeds in a garden to explain how cancer acts in a person's body. We've turned to this book several times over the last few years when the topic of cancer came up in our home.

I truly believe that its simplicity, grace, and beauty far surpass any other book I've seen on the same topic. I've recommended it to many, many friends and family members.

Although the book is geared for children ages 3-7, it is really appropriate for any age. It is a great starting point for beginning the dialogue and discussion on a difficult and frightening subject.

The child in the book asks questions that Maddy and Owen--and I'm sure nearly every child--asked when they first heard about the disease: I wondered if you could catch cancer the same way you catch a cold. Could I get it too? The question is answered gently but directly in a conversation between a mother and her child while they are in their garden.

I was impressed with this book from the first day I saw it, but when I turned to it because I really needed to use it as a teaching tool for Maddy and Owen, I found it even more incredible and worthwhile.

The super-cool part of In Mommy's Garden? For every book that is sold between now and the Relay for Life, the authors will donate 20% of the proceeds to Team Scott! Hooray! Thank you, Neyal and Chris--

So go ahead and order yours now, in English, Spanish, or both!

Giveaway! giveaway! Giveaway!
The authors are also donating a signed copy of the book to one teachmama reader. All you need to do is leave a comment below explaining why it is important that your family receives this book, OR if that is too difficult for you to do, please just leave your name. I understand.
(Remember to leave your email address please. The giveaway will end on 5/07/10 at midnight.)

• Team Scott, Relay for Life: On June 12, our team will Relay to honor our friend Scott and all of our family and friends who have--and are--battling cancer. Our team will continuously walk the track for 24 hours to signify that cancer never rests.
  

-If you would like to make a donation to Team Scott, we'd be extremely grateful.

-You could also buy a luminaria to celebrate someone's recovery or honor a loved one's memory.

-And you could also purchase a copy of In Mommy's Garden.

-If you're local, visit us on Relay Day--we'd love to see you!

Unfortunately, everyone I know has been touched by cancer in some way, shape, or form. It stinks. It's frustrating and exhausting and horrible, and the bottom line is that we all need to work together to find a cure. So what can you do? Just a start:

Read my inspiring friend, Susan, at Toddler Planet. Check out Mothers With Cancer. Join the Army of Women like my friends and I have. Find your own local Relay for Life and get a team started. We can do this. We have to do this.