I hope every Maine child gets to read some of Francine McEwen’s awesome books, focused on promoting kindness and acceptance in children.
Francine lives in Manchester, Maine, and is part of the “Read Across America” program. She enjoys reading to middle school children at her local grange and conducts anti-bullying workshops for kids.
One of her biggest fans was Barbara Bush whose comments are in the front of the four books I recently read and enjoyed. I can tell you the stories are very compelling along with their important messages. And Barbara made sure all of Francine’s books are available to kids in the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland.
The four books I read were Bill E. Goat, In Search of Earth, Billy Big Ears and Bob the Bully, and Susan’s Suitcase. Each book is a riveting story. I intended to read one book each evening but once I read Billy Big Ears, I just had to dive into the other three books.
Thomas Block’s illustrations are very entertaining and memorable too.
In Billy Big Ears, the odd looking eyeglass-wearing boy and the school bully give us a happy ending that you will never forget. And in Susan’s Suitcase, an eight-year-old girls beloved teacher dies of cancer and her father helps her through a difficult loss with what he called the suitcase talk – another remarkable story.
In Search of Earth is a very entertaining tale of a strange creature from another planet who lands on earth and becomes friends with a young girl. And Bill E. Goat is an ugly goat that is bullied and reviled by goats on many farms until he finds the perfect place for him called the Safe Haven Sanctuary.
Please make sure the children in your family and community have access to these wonderful and important stories.