"I am Flippish!" by Leslie V. Ryan, and illustrated by Adolph Soliz, is part story, part game, and all learning about cultures, flags, and acceptance of who we are (no matter what we look like).
"Sean's mom usually helps out at school, but not today. Today it's dad's turn! But when his classmates start asking some awkward questions, Sean wonders why he's so different. Together, and with the help of their teacher, the students learns a few things about diversity and Sean teaches his friends just how wonderful it is to be different."
I happen to know Leslie and her children, so this book was especially fun for me to read. Leslie graduated from University of California, at Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in Legal Studies and Japanese Language. Her lifelong passion for reading books turned into a new found love of writing them. The illustrator, Adolph Soliz, is a graduate from the Laguna College of Art and Design with a BFA in animation. Adolph, who is "Indixican," brings charming and endearing characters to life in all media. Which means you'll never find him without his sketchbook, observing the world and people around him. Along with illustrating children's books, he also teaches art to young aspiring artists.
If I didn't blog about parks and play, I'd probably be blogging about books and reading. I'm glad this book has an element of play to it. You see, the characters end up pulling out a map to trace their ancestral history. Where did their families come from? The book even uses flags to illustrate the multitude of different countries and cultures. Little Sean learns he is "Flippish" which is a short and silly word for "Filipino Irish."
I played the same game for my heritage. My mom's family is French and my dad's is German which would make me: Frenman? or Gerench? Making up silly names is a great exercise to illustrate that "We are all made up of the best parts of our parents." (As the teacher points out in the story.)
I'll proudly shout out that "I am Frenman!"
GIVEAWAY
Leslie is not only giving away ONE autographed copy of her book, but the winner will even get a caricature of their children drawn in the book by the illustrator, Adolph!! How cool is that?
To enter:
- Play the game and try to come up with a declaration for yourself! Who are YOU? (Then you will have practiced for when you read the book with your kids.)
- Enter your answer in the comment section. Let's see how many different combos we come up with!
- I will pick ONE winner from comments (chosen by Random.org). Comments must be received before 7pm (PST) on Wednesday, July 20th. So comment while you are here and thinking about it!
- (Make sure you enter an e-mail that you regularly check, because you must respond to the notification that you're the winner within 24 hours. Otherwise, I have to pick a new winner.)
Even if you don't win, you can always order Leslie's book from Amazon: "I am Flippish!" by Leslie V. Ryan, and illustrated by Adolph Soliz.
