Author Norma Fleagane share some wonderful lessons we can all learn from her heartwarming children’s book- Sneaky the Hairy Mountain Monster: How I Lost My Parents.
Working Together
The story starts with Blake James and Makayla’s parents and grandparents working together in preparation of the upcoming Easter holiday. This beautiful colored illustration tells the readers that the family is a practicing Christian family, and the faith is instilled in the children through tradition. Blake’s mommy and Aunt Tiffani were baking the traditional braided Easter bread and cookies. The picture also shows the colored eggs on the table that the children helped color and decorate. The picture also tells you the children are out of school and are clipping their school pictures.
The story tells how the children went outside to help Makayla’s mom decorate the little baren tree in front of the house with plastic Easter eggs. When they were done, they went back inside and cleaned up after themselves and cleaned the paper scraps left on the table. This tells children to be responsible for themselves and pick up after themselves.
The story encourages children and parents to include everyone in the holiday preparations. This makes a strong family bond between children and parents.
The next thing the children did was give everybody a picture of themselves. They gave grandpa a picture and told him they were going out to play.
Playing Outdoors
Blake let Makayla decide what they wanted to play. She picked up a soccer ball, so they went to an open field and kicked the soccer ball around until it got away from them and started rolling down the hill. As they ran after it, it kept rolling. When they finally caught up to the ball, they sat down to catch their breath and started laughing. This shows children how you can have fun playing and running outdoors while benefiting from the exercise, the fresh air, and sun.
Overcoming your Fears
While sitting on the ground catching their breath, Makayla realizes that they were probably not far from the cave where Sneaky, the monster lives. Makayla who was always afraid of the monster wanted to go see if Sneaky was there. Children are curious by nature, and although Makayla was afraid of the monster when she was little, was now older and ready to face her fears.
How to be Hospitable & Polite
As they ran toward the cave, there was Sneaky standing outside. Sneaky was happy to see them. He invited them to come inside. He offered them refreshments. This teaches children how to be hospitable when someone come to visit. He motions for them to sit down and offers them tea and snacks. He made them tea from dandelions and served them apples and berries that grew in the woods where he lived. Blake complimented him on the dandelion tea. He said he never had dandelion tea before, and it was very good.
Be a Good Listener
Makayla starts the dialogue off by asking Sneaky if he lives in the cave by himself. Sneaky opens up and talks about how he lost his parents and how he learned how he had to survive on his own. He talked about rushing flood water and rising river and how his parents were swept away down river in the flood. The story tells children the danger of flash floods and rushing waters. Sneaky tells them how he saved himself as he floated down the river. He woke up laying on the river bank. He was wet and homeless. As he lay there, he was befriended by several animals who found him a place to live. Sneaky wanted to talk about everything. He talked about being self-conscious about having a third eye, and that he was afraid of people. He told of how he would shoot fire out of his mouths and eyes when he was afraid. He felt odd.
Be Consoling
Makayla assured Sneaky that he was not odd. He was made just the way he was supposed to be. She said maybe the elephant feels odd because he has a trunk. The monkey has a long tail and swings from trees. And the kangaroo carries their babies in a pouch. She assured him not to feel odd. We are different because that is how God made us and that is exactly how we are supposed to be.
The Third Eye
Blake comes up with a scientific fact he learned in school. Way back in our ancestry, we all had a third eye. Amphibians such as the alligator has a socket visible where the third eye existed long ago. Humans have a third eye which you can’t see, buried deep in the brain, many call it a sixth sense. Blake tells Sneaky, although his parents didn’t have three eyes, his ancestors way back in time possessed a third eye, and sometimes that trait comes out in future generations. Sneaky realized that his third eye was important. He understood it now. The third eye warned him of potential dangers, and that is when he shot fire out of his mouth and eyes. Sneaky thanked Blake for telling him that. He felt better about himself. This teaches children to listen to others fears and concerns and how talking about them can lessen fears, and even point to an explanation or solution.
Teaching Manners
Upon leaving, Blake thanked Sneaky for inviting them in and telling them about what happened to his parent. Makayla thanked him for the tea and snacks. Sneaky thanked Blake and Makayla coming and for listening to his story about his fears and about what happened to his parents.
Sneaky Realizes he has a friend and is loved.
Outside the cave, Blake turns and hands Sneaky one of his class pictures. Makayla handed him one of hers too. Sneaky held them close to his heart as he watched Blake and Makayla wave as they walked up the hill. When Sneaky no long saw them, he went back in the cave and looks at the pictures. Blake wrote, “Your friend, Blake” on the back of his school pictures; and Makayla wrote, Love Makayla on hers. With tears in his eyes Sneaky exclaimed, “I have a friend!” As he looked at Makayla’s picture, he said, and “I am Loved!”
This teaches children a little kindness goes a long way, and being a good listener can help someone resolve their fears. It also teaches children that everyone wants a friend, and everyone wants to be loved.
To learn more about teaching good manners to children, grab a copy of Norma Fleagane’s Sneaky the Hairy Mountain Monster How I Lost My Parents via Google Books or Amazon.
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Great lessons for children that you have put into words they can understand. Love the stories that teach the children how to deal with these situations that happen in everyday life in a way that they know is okay.
Great author!!!!