Sunday, October 11, 2020

Patricia Simon's New Book Shares Story of Camp, Community, and Acceptance

 


“Simon and Patty Go To Camp” shows the power of community on the journey towards self acceptance. 


Children’s Craniofacial Association (CCA Kids) is excited to announce the publication of Patricial Simon’s new children’s book, “Simon and Patty Go To Camp.” Patricia is an author, registered nurse, and CCA Kids Speakers’ Bureau member. This is Patricia’s fourth children’s book about Simon and his friends. 


The story chronicles Simon, a colorful cardinal with a cleft beak, and his friend, Patty, who also has a facial difference, as they go to camp with kids and animals also born with craniofacial differences. Patty’s sister, Abigail, joins them, too. The camp, influenced by CCA Kids Annual Family Retreat, is filled with friends that look and experience life just like Simon and Patty. A few of your favorite CCA staffers and community members are part of the book, too. 


“Simon and Patty Go To Camp” joins three other picture books about the adventures of Simon and Patty. In 2018, her first book, “Smile With Simon” was translated into Tagalog for kids in the Philippines taking part in a speech camp organized by SmileTrain. Patricia also published “Simon and the Buddy Branch” and “Simon and the Bully.” All four books are filled with beautiful illustrations, songs, and an enduring message of finding acceptance and how to be kind to others.


The stories were born out of a need that Patricia saw to help children with facial differences find self acceptance. She says, “When I dealt with my own adult cleft lip challenges, I went to the library, and searched for children’s books that addressed facial differences. I was saddened to find that so very few existed. I decided to write my own children’s books: ‘Smile with Simon’ and ‘Simon and the Buddy Branch.’”


Patricia affirms, “My own personal challenge opened up a new opportunity to give back, and to spread the word that there are good people in this world. A cardinal like Simon, the main character of the books, with his beak stitched up, can show us it is okay to be different, and to embrace our beauty and the beauty of others!”


CCA hopes to facilitate Patricia’s mission by distributing her books in our care packages for those having surgery, to elementary educators utilizing our anti-bullying curriculum, and to craniofacial centers that treat our children’s complex medical needs at major hospitals around the country. If you are interested in receiving one or more of Patricia’s books, please contact Khadija Moten at [email protected] to request your copy. 


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Patricia Simon is a nurse, patient advocate, speaker and author that lives just outside Chicago, Illinois. Born with a cleft lip and palate herself, she is engaged in supporting a number of nonprofit organizations including, Children’s Craniofacial Association, the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, Cleft Community Advisory Council for Smile Train, and Face the Future Foundation, affiliated with University of Illinois Health Craniofacial Clinic. Please purchase her books, enjoy the songs that accompany the tales, and find more at http://www.smilewithsimon.com


Children's Craniofacial Association, is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Dallas, Texas and was founded in 1989. CCA's mission is empowering and giving hope to individuals and families affected by facial differences. CCA envisions a world where all people are accepted for who they are, not how they look. To request free educational curriculum and additional resources, visit http://www.ccakids.org.


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