While I could care less how MUCH you learn about autism, I only sincerely wish that my son be accepted for the brilliant, loving and bright spirit that he is. It is the much EASIER thing for one to chose to be accepting, for it requires only you open your heart. Acceptance doesn't require that you give money, walk an organized walk or read an article. Acceptance requires that you value all that these magnificent spectrum children have to offer. And, what they have to offer is so valuable. I always tell my boys, "Wouldn't it be so boring if we were all alike?"
When I was a young girl, my favorite book was Fanny by Stephen Cosgrove. The book is about a cat that has three legs. Because he has three legs, the other farm animals treat him different and pretty much resort to ignoring him. In the end, a silly puppy befriends him and finds out that the three legged cat is not much different than him at all. I still love the story and read the boys the exact book I read all those years ago.
When I had heard of the book series called Starabella, I was intrigued because it was a story of acceptance, similar to that of the book Fanny. The story books follow the adventures of a young girl named Starabella. Starabella soon starts to realize that she is different than other children. Starabella has Autism.
There are many things I love about this book series. First and foremost, I love that the stories are centered around ACCEPTANCE. I believe that if we are to expect ACCEPTANCE, we have to teach and model it early in a child's life.
I believe that this book series provides important stories for Brady, as it explains to him that he is not alone. But, even more importantly, I believe this book series is important for my younger son Weston, as it shows him that even though Brady may act differently, he is more alike than different! Through the same stories I am able to explain to each of my sons what ACCEPTANCE is, looks like and why we want to be accepting.
I used the books similarly to how you would use a social story to explain situations to a young child. With each boy I would read a chapter and we would talk about feelings, actions and explore their understanding of what happened. The books have provided a variety of prompts to engage language rich conversation with both Brady and Weston.
Second, I love how the books shows that a child on the spectrum is not so different than other children. Children on the spectrum want to fit in, be loved and dream big dreams. And, besides the main character having Autism, the book explores difficulties other kids face. Especially in the series' third book, the stories explore other differences such as physical disabilities and race. What I appreciate is that these difference are address in a subtle, less abrupt way and is easy for a child to follow. I really believe the first step to teach acceptance is to show how beautiful differences are rather than how odd being different is.
Lastly, besides being beautifully illustrated, the series is interactive and has a musical element to it. At least with my boys, music resonates with them. Both boys enjoyed the books with and without the music!!! They remind me a lot of the interactive story books that were read when I was in primary school.
And, if at first glance you think this is a story book series just for little girls, please realize it is not! My boys really enjoyed the adventures of Starabella.
The author Sharon Fialco is a mother of a young woman on the spectrum named Tara. I am always inspired by other Spectrum Moms who have walked the same path as I am walking now. I am always so curious how everyone manages and what their advice for me would be. Ms. Fialco was gracious to answer a few questions. I thought I'd share with you her answers
Ms. Fialco, what inspired you to write the Starabella series?
Tara was a very enthusiastic child filled with spirit and delight for exploring and learning about her world. She brought us much joy. We celebrated her many abilities but were also puzzled by some of her unusual behaviors.
Upon entering school, Tara was made to feel there was something "different" about her. She was teased and isolated from play. Her spirit began to dwindle and she began to question her self-esteem. As parents, it was very painful to feel helpless to adequately influence her school environment to accommodate her learning and social needs.
Tara received a gift that would alter her life and ours. Her grandparents sent her their piano from their home in St. Louis to our new home in Honolulu. It turned out that Tara could play any music she had ever heard by ear and soon began to compose her own music. She used her music to express her emotions, dreams and reflections of the world around her. One of her songs: "Welcome to a Bright New World" depicted a magical musical world, far more accepting than the one she had to face each day. This son became the inspiration for the Starabella series. In this bright new world "children played and got along and were accepted for exactly who they were".
Our family collaborated to produce the Starabella series to bring Tara's dream to other children, their families and teachers to help make the dream to reality.
The stories help teachers guide children to make social choices based on empathy. Through the Starabella stories, children learn to recognize what makes themselves and each other special. They learn at early age to listen to the good voice inside themselves rather than following the loudest, most threatening voice.
The messages in the Starabella stories are told through the medium of art and music. The audio and visual presentation appeals to different styles of learning.
What is the most important lesson your daughter's ASD taught you?
The most important lesson I have learned from my daughter is that it is important for her to believe in herself. This can be challenging for children with autism or any extra challenge living in a world asking them to conform. Children should be given the opportunity to reach for their own goals in their own special ways.
What would be your advice for those who are beginning their readings of the Starabella series with their children?
The Starabella books are presented in a new format. To experience the stories it is necessary to listen to the fully-narrated audio CDs with music and sound effects enclosed on the inside cover of each book. It is best to listen to the audio CDs while following along with the pictures in the books. There are song lyrics at the end of each book so children can sing along with the music.
The picture books are divided into chapters so that the stories can be presented one chapter at a time according to the attention span of the individual child. The recording can be paused at various times to discuss the messages in the stories.
Book Three of the series is interactive. Children are asked to use a "magical mirror" in the book to help make social choices based on empathy to help themselves and Starabella's classmates get to the bright new world. The mirror can be used by children to identify emotions shown in their facial expressions. If they see a smile, their eyes, like Starabella's when she's happy, will SHINE LIKE STARS. This shows them that they have made a friendly choice.
Anything else you would like to add?
The Starabella stories are fun for all children, with and without extra challenges, to listen to and interact with. They are like listening to a radio theater quality production. Children will want to dance, sing and dream along to the music.
The story of Starabella speaks directly to the place in all children that yearns for acceptance and understanding. Together, children can create the world of their dreams.
Starabella becomes a kindergarten rock star who leads children to a BRIGHT NEW WORLD! Follow her there!
These books are such a gem! They really should be a standard issue in schools! We visit these books often and the boys thoroughly enjoy them! I'm purchasing a copy of the series and donating them to our local library! That's how much I love them!
To learn more about the book series or to purchase your own set (or perhaps a set for your local school or library!), please visit the Starabella website http://starabella.com/
Here is the official book description:
When I was a young girl, my favorite book was Fanny by Stephen Cosgrove. The book is about a cat that has three legs. Because he has three legs, the other farm animals treat him different and pretty much resort to ignoring him. In the end, a silly puppy befriends him and finds out that the three legged cat is not much different than him at all. I still love the story and read the boys the exact book I read all those years ago.
When I had heard of the book series called Starabella, I was intrigued because it was a story of acceptance, similar to that of the book Fanny. The story books follow the adventures of a young girl named Starabella. Starabella soon starts to realize that she is different than other children. Starabella has Autism.
There are many things I love about this book series. First and foremost, I love that the stories are centered around ACCEPTANCE. I believe that if we are to expect ACCEPTANCE, we have to teach and model it early in a child's life.
I believe that this book series provides important stories for Brady, as it explains to him that he is not alone. But, even more importantly, I believe this book series is important for my younger son Weston, as it shows him that even though Brady may act differently, he is more alike than different! Through the same stories I am able to explain to each of my sons what ACCEPTANCE is, looks like and why we want to be accepting.
I used the books similarly to how you would use a social story to explain situations to a young child. With each boy I would read a chapter and we would talk about feelings, actions and explore their understanding of what happened. The books have provided a variety of prompts to engage language rich conversation with both Brady and Weston.
Second, I love how the books shows that a child on the spectrum is not so different than other children. Children on the spectrum want to fit in, be loved and dream big dreams. And, besides the main character having Autism, the book explores difficulties other kids face. Especially in the series' third book, the stories explore other differences such as physical disabilities and race. What I appreciate is that these difference are address in a subtle, less abrupt way and is easy for a child to follow. I really believe the first step to teach acceptance is to show how beautiful differences are rather than how odd being different is.
Lastly, besides being beautifully illustrated, the series is interactive and has a musical element to it. At least with my boys, music resonates with them. Both boys enjoyed the books with and without the music!!! They remind me a lot of the interactive story books that were read when I was in primary school.
And, if at first glance you think this is a story book series just for little girls, please realize it is not! My boys really enjoyed the adventures of Starabella.
Ms. Fialco, what inspired you to write the Starabella series?
Tara was a very enthusiastic child filled with spirit and delight for exploring and learning about her world. She brought us much joy. We celebrated her many abilities but were also puzzled by some of her unusual behaviors.
Upon entering school, Tara was made to feel there was something "different" about her. She was teased and isolated from play. Her spirit began to dwindle and she began to question her self-esteem. As parents, it was very painful to feel helpless to adequately influence her school environment to accommodate her learning and social needs.
Tara received a gift that would alter her life and ours. Her grandparents sent her their piano from their home in St. Louis to our new home in Honolulu. It turned out that Tara could play any music she had ever heard by ear and soon began to compose her own music. She used her music to express her emotions, dreams and reflections of the world around her. One of her songs: "Welcome to a Bright New World" depicted a magical musical world, far more accepting than the one she had to face each day. This son became the inspiration for the Starabella series. In this bright new world "children played and got along and were accepted for exactly who they were".
Our family collaborated to produce the Starabella series to bring Tara's dream to other children, their families and teachers to help make the dream to reality.
The stories help teachers guide children to make social choices based on empathy. Through the Starabella stories, children learn to recognize what makes themselves and each other special. They learn at early age to listen to the good voice inside themselves rather than following the loudest, most threatening voice.
The messages in the Starabella stories are told through the medium of art and music. The audio and visual presentation appeals to different styles of learning.
What is the most important lesson your daughter's ASD taught you?
The most important lesson I have learned from my daughter is that it is important for her to believe in herself. This can be challenging for children with autism or any extra challenge living in a world asking them to conform. Children should be given the opportunity to reach for their own goals in their own special ways.
What would be your advice for those who are beginning their readings of the Starabella series with their children?
The Starabella books are presented in a new format. To experience the stories it is necessary to listen to the fully-narrated audio CDs with music and sound effects enclosed on the inside cover of each book. It is best to listen to the audio CDs while following along with the pictures in the books. There are song lyrics at the end of each book so children can sing along with the music.
The picture books are divided into chapters so that the stories can be presented one chapter at a time according to the attention span of the individual child. The recording can be paused at various times to discuss the messages in the stories.
The Starabella stories are fun for all children, with and without extra challenges, to listen to and interact with. They are like listening to a radio theater quality production. Children will want to dance, sing and dream along to the music.
The story of Starabella speaks directly to the place in all children that yearns for acceptance and understanding. Together, children can create the world of their dreams.
Starabella becomes a kindergarten rock star who leads children to a BRIGHT NEW WORLD! Follow her there!
These books are such a gem! They really should be a standard issue in schools! We visit these books often and the boys thoroughly enjoy them! I'm purchasing a copy of the series and donating them to our local library! That's how much I love them!
To learn more about the book series or to purchase your own set (or perhaps a set for your local school or library!), please visit the Starabella website http://starabella.com/
*****
Here is the official book description:
Starabella 3-Book Narrated, Musical Picture Book Series
For children ages 2–8
by Sharon, Tara, and Dana Fialco
Starabella is a courageous little girl with learning differences who composes beautiful music to express her thoughts and feelings. Her experiences and musical vision teach children the value of celebrating differences, listening to the good voice inside themselves rather than following the crowd, and of determination and imagination. The 3-book Starabella series begins Starabella's journey at home in Book 1, where her parents first welcome her into the world and watch her start to grow up. They discover their daughter's mysterious challenges and musical talent, along with her inspiring determination. Starabella then ventures out in the community as a small child in Book 2, where she struggles with conforming to societal expectations but learns to believe in herself. Finally, in Book 3 she enters a diverse kindergarten classroom, where she and other classmates experience bullying and social division. Through her magical music and lyrics, Starabella leads her kindergarten classmates and listeners to the Bright New World of her dreams where all children play, get along, and are accepted for exactly who they are. A question/answer segment in Book 3 allows children to make friendly social choices to create a classroom environment where all children feel safe and valued. Based on the childhood experiences and music of the author's daughter Tara, a composer who has autism, the Starabella series encourages all children to believe in themselves and have empathy for others. All three books are fully narrated by Tara's sister Dana, featuring 22 original songs, including 17 written by Tara.
The Starabella stories are for all children with or without extra challenges, but are dedicated to those children with personal challenges who enter the public arena each day with the courage of superheroes. Children listening and following along with the captions in the picture books go on an inspiring journey filled with tuneful music and vibrant colorful illustrations that will stimulate their imaginations. The books are designed to be listened to on the accompanying audio CDs found inside the front cover of each book, but the combination of audio, visual, and printed captions appeal to a variety of learning styles. Children will sing, move, dream, and imagine along with Starabella and discover how good it feels to be a friend.
For more information: www.starabella.com
Sharon Fialco
Author/Publisher
Starabella narrated musical picture books
My eyes are shining with tears of gratitude seeing the pictures of both of your sons enjoying the books and for the lovely review you gave the Starabella Series. I am so happy that you singled out ACCEPTANCE as the main message in the books. It made the object of the three books so clear. I hope many people will see your review and share it with parents and teachers of young children. I will share it proudly. “Starific-Terrific!”
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