"Just Grace": Children's Book Inspired By New Fairfield Girl, Teaches Children To Look Beyond Disabilities

New Fairfield, CT -- October 2013 -- Yes! Grace Rocks, Inc. is publishing "Just Grace," a new children's book by writer Kathleen Bookbinder and illustrator Sharon Lane Holm, inspired by the story of New Fairfield 12-year-old Grace Sturm.

In 2009, doctors discovered Sturm had a brain tumor, resulting in surgery, treatment and a long recovery, including five weeks in a coma and a 10-month hospital stay. She is now home with her family, currently attending seventh grade at New Fairfield Middle School and continuing to receive therapy as part of her recovery.

The new book by Bookbinder and Holm, both of New Fairfield, came through the inspiration of Jane Martellino, Sturm's librarian at Consolidated Elementary School and founding director of Yes! Grace Rocks.

"I had worked with Jane on the foundation's cookbook project three years ago, and last year she approached me with the idea for this book," said Bookbinder. "She was looking for us to tell the essence of Grace's story to four-to-eight-year-olds, with the message of how important it is for them to look beyond what's on the surface and see people for who they are."

Holm had worked on the cookbook as well, along with other projects for the charity, and as soon as Martellino and Bookbinder shared a draft of the text with her, she immediately joined the "Just Grace" book project. Martellino also enlisted graphic designer, Anthony Varbero Jr., also of New Fairfield, who donated his time and talents to the design and layout of the book.

Yes! Grace Rocks is a non-profit charitable organization in Southbury, CT, formed four years ago to honor and support the Sturms and other families of children with brain tumors, traumatic brain injuries, or conditions of the brain.

"Just Grace" couples Bookbinder's rhyming prose with Holm's simple line drawings to tell and show the story of a first-grade girl who loves chili dogs, chocolate bars, the wind in her hair, her family, dancing, laughing, reading and writing. In second grade, things change when Grace becomes sick and enters a world of nurses and needles, surgeons and sick bays.

The story follows her through her recovery and grade school years, showing that she loves all the same things and enjoys all the same activities as before, although she experiences some of them in different ways because of her illness. Throughout it all, Grace is still just Grace.

While primarily written for younger children, the book also can be used with older students as an

introduction to instruction on individual differences. Bookbinder has written a teacher's guide to accompany "Just Grace," which includes discussion questions and suggested texts to further explore the topic. "We hope our book will help kids look at other kids and realize that just because they may look different and act different, we're really all the same and want the same things," said Holm. "While our book is primarily intended for children, we wanted to create something that would resonate

with older children and adults as well."

All proceeds from the book will go to the Yes! Grace Rocks, Inc. The book will be available on November 16th through the charity's website at Yes Grace Rocks and through local retailer, Sarah's Gift 'n Ship. The charity will present the book at the American Association of School Librarians Conference on November 15-17 in Hartford. More than 3,000 school librarians will attend the conference and have the opportunity to visit the Yes! Grace Rocks, Inc. booth to purchase "Just Grace" and meet Bookbinder and Holm. In addition, the charity will donate 1,000 copies of the book to public libraries, schools and hospitals."

"The making of this book epitomizes the essence of our charity -- giving and sharing your gifts, talents, and financial resources in order to bring hope when a family needs it the most," said Martellino. "Not only did Kathleen and Sharon donate their talents, several individuals and businesses donated funds to cover all of the printing costs, which means 100 percent of the sales of the book will indeed benefit the families we serve."

About the author and illustrator Holm is a professional illustrator, whose work has appeared in more than 65 children's books.

Among her works, she wrote and illustrated "Zoe's Hats," which was featured in the 2011 Libraries Unlimited ABC/CLIO Best Books To Enhance Curriculum Pre K-2 Grade list. She also taught and mentored for an after-school literacy program for children in grades 3-5 in New Fairfield. You can see her work at http://www.sharonholm.com/

Bookbinder is a freelance writer and former teacher, who writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry. "Just Grace" is her first children's book. Her work has appeared in Bumples, Highlights for Children, and Boy's Quest magazine. She also is submissions editor and a writer for Imagination Café, an online magazine for children. You can see her work at http://kathleenbookbinder.com/

About Yes! Grace Rocks, Inc.

Yes! Grace Rocks is a 501(c)(3) organization providing support for things such as emergency transportation, music therapy, family assistance grants, physical therapy mats and other items to aid in recovery, and four annual scholarships for college students in the fields of physical or occupational therapy, special education or nursing.