One of the hardest parts of going back to school, I think, is when you’re different from other people.  It could be that you have freckles, or your hair is shorter or longer or you have a third eye.  It could be anything different, but as we all know, the differences are what stand out.  So when I was offered the chance to let my readers know about Percy, the Perfectly Imperfect Chicken, written by Rick Rieser, I jumped at it because it’s a wonderful teaching story without your children really realizing it.

Meet Percy.  Percy is a Perfectly Imperfect Chicken – as we all are.  Percy’s yard mates, i.e. the “perfect” chickens, find out that Percy isn’t so perfect and want to ostracize him for it.  But Percy comes back and shows them that his differences are what makes him special and unique.

In reading this story to my daughter, she would ask me why the other chickens were mean to him, because she’d not been in a school situation, had never really experienced the “mean” crowd.  Subsequently, I’ve also used the example of Percy when we’ve watched a movie or read other books with a similar theme, and recalled how Percy would have reacted or how he must have felt when that happened.  It’s a wonderful example of tolerance and compassion to bring to the children in your life during Back to School season, when we could all use a little reminder – and there are no cuter reminders than Percy!

Percy the Perfectly Imperfect Chicken was written by Rick Riser, and was published at FastPencil.com, a site where you can write, publish and sell your own book!

I have a wonderful surprise, too!  I have a copy of Percy, the Perfectly Imperfect Chicken for you to win.

Win!

Winning is easy, of course.

For each step you choose to complete, leave a separate comment. On September 3rd, I will draw a winner through random.com from all qualified entries. I will email the winner. They will have 3 days to respond. If they do not respond in that time, I will draw another winner.  US entrants only, please.

• Google friend connect me
• Comment and tell me what your favorite part of going back to school was.
• “Like” my page over there on my sidebar
• For 2 entries, go to RickRieser.com and tell me in 2 different comments the places that Percy hid.

Removed due to author site being inaccessible.

• For 2 entries, join my new mailing list. This list is strictly to be notified of future contests and giveaways, you will not be spammed. If you do this, just leave 2 comments as well.  You can join over in the sidebar as well.
• Share this giveaway on Facebook.
• Follow my rss feed by email.
• Tweet this giveaway by clicking on the Twitter birdie right here. You can tweet twice a day.

Do one, do all, it’s up to you!

Note: I did not receive any product or compensation for this review – I did it because we love the book and wanted to share it w/you, the readers.

As the person who is responsible for the maintenance on our cars, I have favorites when it comes to brands.  I tend to specifically go for those things that have proven themselves.  Rain-X is one of those brands.  I KNOW when I buy a Rain-X product, I’ll be happy with it.

As a result, I jumped at the chance to review this awesome Rain-X pack!  Living in New Hampshire, the snow, sleet and ice is horrible – even in March.  So as soon as I received my new Latitude wipers, on they went!  These new wipers literally HUG the windshield, so clearing whatever happens to be flying around here is a cinch. 

Visibility is so paramount to safety, so I go through wipers like tissue!  But the Latitude are so well designed, I know that even when it comes time to replace them, I’ll replace them with more Latitudes!

In fact, according to a report released in June 2008 by sciencedaily.com, nearly a quarter of all automobile accidents occur in rainy and wet weather so making sure you have properly working wiper blades is important to help avoid accidents in poor weather conditions. By routinely checking your wiper blades and performing safety checks on your car you can help increase your safety while driving during inclement weather.
Since winter is not quite over yet here are some tips from Jody DeVere to stay safe while driving in the rain, snow, slush and ice:
• Conduct a regular walk around checking your lights, antifreeze, windshield washer fluid and wiper blades regularly
• Ensure your tires are properly inflated and have sufficient tread
• As the temperature drops keep your gas tank at least half full; the extra gas reduces condensation that can plug your fuel line with ice and stall your engine in cooler weather
• Create an emergency pack; items like a blanket, first aid kit, snacks, bottled water, an ice scraper, flashlight and a bag of kitty litter

Despite the fact that Spring “officially” began last week, it’s certainly not here!  A blizzard this week in Colorado proves that.  So how cool is it that I have a Rain-X Car Care package to give away.  Unfortunately, due to my own problems with computer, sick kids, etc. today is the last day that I can give the company my winners – so I need you to fill out the form below with your name, mailing address, make & model of your car, etc. so I can give the company all the necessary information. Any entries missing the required information will be discarded.    I have locked the entries so no one else can get your info so your privacy IS protected