Book Promo ~ The Hoop Troop

Mother and Daughter Team
Write Children’s Book Together

When the third-grade talent show is announced, Savannah Sage and her best friend Hudson are at a loss for what act to perform. With the help of their 16-year-old babysitter, Jazmin, they learn the art of dancing with a hoop along with the lesson that practice makes progress. Join Savannah and Hudson for this first adventure in this engaging series and become part of The Hoop Troop!

Dana Forman, a second-grade teacher in Larchmont NY, and her 16-year-old daughter, Sasha, co-authored the children’s book “The Hoop Troop,” which centers on two third-graders learning how to dance with a hoop and overcoming their self-doubt to do so, according to Forman. 

One of the book’s themes is that practice makes progress and that you should not give up, Forman said. The book is the first one of a planned series, according to Forman.

Both of them also note that the hooping depicted in the book is different than normal hula hooping and involves a thicker hoop with specific grip tape, and more involved dancing moves set to music. “It’s more like an aerobic art form,” Forman said.

“The Hoop Troop” also features illustrations of the dance moves created by Samantha Caponera, who Dana and Sasha worked closely with, as well as actual hoops that are produced by Hoopologie that children can buy to learn the art themselves, they said. 

About the Authors

Sasha Forman is a 16-year old high school student. In the summer of 2020, Sasha created a program where she taught hoop classes to local children. The grit and determination shown by her young hoopers, in addition to the fun and laughs shared, inspired Sasha to create The Hoop Troop series. She feels grateful to be able to share this experience with her mom, Dana. When Sasha is not writing or hooping, she enjoys reading, acting, and spending time with her family and friends.

As a first grade teacher and lover of children’s literature, it was a dream come true for Dana Forman when her daughter Sasha asked her to co-author The Hoop Troop series. Dana hopes children all over the world will connect with the characters and that it will encourage them all to believe in themselves. Dana loves to spend time with her daughter Sasha, her husband Brett, her son Josh, and take long walks in nature with her dog Daisy.

The Hoop Troop

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BB8RPZHF
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Luminare Press
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 58 pages

Available on AMAZON.COM

Book Promo ~ I CAN Believe in Myself

Book Encourages Children to Replace
Negative Thoughts with Positive Ones

This title will be released on February 23, 2021.

The delightful but powerful story I CAN Believe in Myself introduces young readers to Molly, who has been chosen to be the next Star of the Day in her school classroom. Most students would be proud and excited. Molly, however, is terrified! She just can’t speak in front of her class. She worries all day. She frets all night. “I can’t … I can’t,” Molly convinces herself. Or can she?

From the creative minds of Jack Canfield, international expert on self-esteem, goal setting, success and life improvement, and children’s book author Miriam Laundry, I CAN Believe in Myself gently challenges children to turn their negative thoughts into positive ones, seamlessly weaving themes of compassion, confidence and self-esteem into a relatable story about a young girl’s struggle to move beyond her comfort zone. Ultimately, Molly brings something special to show and tell, and uses it to help her fellow students—and even her teacher—overcome negative perceptions so they can have the confidence they need to do things they never thought possible.

Parents and teachers alike will appreciate the lifelong lessons contained in this beautifully illustrated book. Intended for children 6 to 11 years of age, I CAN Believe in Myself can help the young people in your life learn to believe in themselves, build self-esteem, and turn the word can’t into can!

Author Jack Canfield is an award-winning speaker and an internationally recognized leader in personal development and peak performance strategies. As the co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, he’s taught millions of individuals his formulas for success. He is the author and co-author of more than 150 books (including 66 bestsellers) with more than 100 million copies in print in 47 languages around the world. His bestselling book, The Success Principles has been hailed as the new self-improvement classic.

Co-author Miriam Laundry is a sought-after speaker at schools nationwide. She and Jack Canfield collaborated to write The Big, Bad Bully and I CAN Believe in Myself. Miriam is also the author of I CAN Make a Difference and I CAN Be Me. She set a Guinness World Record on May 7, 2014, for the largest online book discussion in a 24-hour period. More than 100,000 children and adults participated in this record with the purpose of promoting positive mental health. Her books have also received numerous book awards. Miriam also focuses on mentoring new children’s book authors in publishing their books and inspiring the next generation. She is donating her proceeds from I CAN Believe in Myself to help build a school in Guatemala through Pencils of Promise.

For more information about the authors, please visit https://www.jackcanfield.com and https://miriamlaundry.com.

 

I CAN Believe in Myself
Publisher: HCI Books
Release Date: February 23, 2021
ISBN-10: 075732388X
ISBN-13: 978-0757323881

Available for pre-order on Amazon.com

Body Image Issues

Can a Fitness & Wellness Regimen Empower Women?
Celebrity Trainer Explains 3 Reasons Why It Can

From an early age, women have foisted on them images of the “ideal” female body, and self-esteem can plummet when they fail to measure up.
But celebrity trainer Holly Perkins says it’s time women stop buying into those societal pressures.

“There’s this perception that all women need to look like perfect runway models,” says Perkins. “They can feel the anxiety building when they are trying to meet someone else’s expectations. That’s when the effort to lose weight or get fit can add to the stresses of life instead of relieving them.”

Certainly, women should want to improve their health, get fit and look gorgeous all at the same time, says Perkins, who recently released a home-exercise system designed specifically for women called baladea (www.baladea.com), with regimens she developed to fuse fitness and wellness exercises.

But getting in shape needs to be something women want for themselves, and not an effort to mimic some airbrushed image on a magazine cover at the supermarket, she says.

Perkins realized several years ago that her clients met their weight-loss goals faster when she created programs that addressed both their fitness and wellness needs at the same time.

They also felt happier about themselves. So she incorporated yoga and other stress-relieving and relaxation techniques into the baladea program.

Perkins offers three reasons why the right fitness and wellness regimen can empower women and emancipate them from society’s image pressures:

•  Because looking good makes you feel good. That’s especially true when you’re trying to look good to please yourself and not others, Perkins says. “There’s this sense of empowerment when you exercise, eat a healthier diet and lose weight because it’s what you want and not because of peer pressure or societal pressures,” she says.

Self-esteem rises when you improve your image on your terms, she says, and as a result “looking gorgeous never felt better.”

•  Because the science says so. Research shows that stress can keep you from losing weight and might even cause you to add pounds. Even if you eat well and exercise, an excessive amount of stress can counteract all your efforts. That’s why meshing fitness and wellness works so well, Perkins says.

 “Stress reduction and relaxation can significantly improve weight loss,” she says. “That allows you to look and feel your absolute best.”

•  Because while improving your look, you also become healthier. You will feel amazing not just because of elevated self-esteem, but because your body really is functioning better because of the diet and exercise, Perkins says. Your energy level will rise and “you will feel ready for anything,” she says.

“You can look awesome and you can feel happy at the same time,” Perkins says. “It’s all about letting your true self shine.”

About Holly Perkins

Holly Perkins is a national fitness expert and developer of baladea (www.baladea.com), a customizable fitness and wellness system for women. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), one of the most prestigious certifications in the industry. She believes that making fitness a fun lifestyle is the best way to achieve true change. As one of the nation’s leading weight-loss experts and a highly sought-after celebrity trainer, she has been featured in numerous magazines, newspapers and on national TV shows.