Were You Born In That Chair?
A Children's Book by Jennifer Kuhns
Illustrated by Karen Borrelli
**Awarded the Mom's Choice Silver Seal of Approval in 2012**
The Mom's Choice Awards is a worldwide program that recognizes and sets
the bar for excellence in family-friendly media, products and services.
Illustrated by Karen Borrelli
**Awarded the Mom's Choice Silver Seal of Approval in 2012**
The Mom's Choice Awards is a worldwide program that recognizes and sets
the bar for excellence in family-friendly media, products and services.
$
15.95
***ALSO Available in Spanish as an e-book at:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jenniferkuhns
OR
http://www.amazon.com/Naciste-esa-silla-Spanish-ebook/dp/B00EDSJTUM/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376014559&sr=1-3&keywords=jennifer+kuhns
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jenniferkuhns
OR
http://www.amazon.com/Naciste-esa-silla-Spanish-ebook/dp/B00EDSJTUM/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376014559&sr=1-3&keywords=jennifer+kuhns
**Received the “2013 KART Kids Book List Award” **
A book that helps parents and teachers answer children's questions about disabilities.
Hailey, the main charater in this story, is starting her first day at a new school where no one thinks they have ever had a disabled student before. Hailey is not only the new girl, but she is a girl in a wheelchair. She is a girl with strength, a little bit of an attitude, and a great sense of humor who helps her teacher and her classmates understand what a disability is, and that a disability isn't what defines a person. Were You Born In That Chair? is a look at disabilities through an inclusive eye instead of an eye of difference and exclusion. In fact, the children in Hailey's class learn that they each have a disabilitiy...disabilities they don't even even think about. The included children's play and cutout figures help readers and educators explore thoughts and questions through both oral and tactile means.
Reviews
This story draws us in from the start with its humor and empathy...an excellent example of the power of narrative to deepen our understanding of the range of human life.
Dr. Keith Nainby, Assistant Professor
Department of Communication Studies
California State University, Stanislaus
I was disappointed to discover that there aren't many published books on the subject of children living with disabilities. I read Were You Born in that Chair? to my fourth grade students (and) was amazed they were engaged in listening to the entire story! The story is intuitive and insightful.
Marianne Gartenlaub, Fourth Grade Teacher
A wonderful piece of writing from a perspective not many of us understand. Hailey has a lot of depth. The reader is able to see her inner fears as well as her courage and humor.
Janet Lenards, Literacy Coach
From the first page, I imagined myself as a third grade student. I love this book. Hailey has (an) amazing personality and (sets) a great example. Disabilities do not make or define a person. Children are products of ther environments, and this book will help break the cycle.
Kris Cota, Journalist/Communications
Hailey, the main charater in this story, is starting her first day at a new school where no one thinks they have ever had a disabled student before. Hailey is not only the new girl, but she is a girl in a wheelchair. She is a girl with strength, a little bit of an attitude, and a great sense of humor who helps her teacher and her classmates understand what a disability is, and that a disability isn't what defines a person. Were You Born In That Chair? is a look at disabilities through an inclusive eye instead of an eye of difference and exclusion. In fact, the children in Hailey's class learn that they each have a disabilitiy...disabilities they don't even even think about. The included children's play and cutout figures help readers and educators explore thoughts and questions through both oral and tactile means.
Reviews
This story draws us in from the start with its humor and empathy...an excellent example of the power of narrative to deepen our understanding of the range of human life.
Dr. Keith Nainby, Assistant Professor
Department of Communication Studies
California State University, Stanislaus
I was disappointed to discover that there aren't many published books on the subject of children living with disabilities. I read Were You Born in that Chair? to my fourth grade students (and) was amazed they were engaged in listening to the entire story! The story is intuitive and insightful.
Marianne Gartenlaub, Fourth Grade Teacher
A wonderful piece of writing from a perspective not many of us understand. Hailey has a lot of depth. The reader is able to see her inner fears as well as her courage and humor.
Janet Lenards, Literacy Coach
From the first page, I imagined myself as a third grade student. I love this book. Hailey has (an) amazing personality and (sets) a great example. Disabilities do not make or define a person. Children are products of ther environments, and this book will help break the cycle.
Kris Cota, Journalist/Communications
Excerpt from Were You Born in That Chair?
"Hey, get out of the way! Watch out where you're goin'. We're trying to play a basketball game here. You gotta...OHHHH!!!
Blake and all of his friends backed away from what he had run into. Hailey grabbed onto the arms of her wheelchair, thinking that she had felt an earthquake or something. She was as shocked as Blake was acting. Hailey wasn't all that interested in basketball, so she hadn't been paying much attention to the boys, and didn't really see them coming. Hailey had been trying to make her way to the classroom door where her new teacher was standing and watching. The only person who had even seen her on the playground was her new teacher. No one else had seemed to notice that she was there, until the boy ran into her that is. Then all of a sudden everyone was noticing her. They were all staring at her like she had six eyes or something.
Hailey waited while Blake brushed the dirt off his new pants. She wasn’t sure what to expect next. All Hailey knew was that the boy who ran into her had now stepped up in her face and was looking her up and down wearing an expression of interest and uncertainty. “Are you in the right school?” Blake asked in a voice that was louder than it needed to be. “I haven’t seen you here before and I know everybody ’cause I’ve been here since kindergarten. What’s the matter with you anyway? We don’t have kids like you at this school.
And how come you’re in that thing? What, is it like a golf cart or scooter or something?”
Hailey took a deep breath. She had heard all of those same questions and lots of others many times before. Most
of the time it didn’t bother her, but today it did. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her today, but maybe it was because she
was at a new school and she was nervous. Or maybe it was because the kid yelling in her face was spitting on her
new sweater when he talked. Hailey sat up as straight as she could and looked boldly into Blake’s eyes and answered
the only question that she could remember him asking.
“No, it isn’t a scooter or something. It’s a wheelchair. And you don’t have to yell. I can hear.”
"Hey, get out of the way! Watch out where you're goin'. We're trying to play a basketball game here. You gotta...OHHHH!!!
Blake and all of his friends backed away from what he had run into. Hailey grabbed onto the arms of her wheelchair, thinking that she had felt an earthquake or something. She was as shocked as Blake was acting. Hailey wasn't all that interested in basketball, so she hadn't been paying much attention to the boys, and didn't really see them coming. Hailey had been trying to make her way to the classroom door where her new teacher was standing and watching. The only person who had even seen her on the playground was her new teacher. No one else had seemed to notice that she was there, until the boy ran into her that is. Then all of a sudden everyone was noticing her. They were all staring at her like she had six eyes or something.
Hailey waited while Blake brushed the dirt off his new pants. She wasn’t sure what to expect next. All Hailey knew was that the boy who ran into her had now stepped up in her face and was looking her up and down wearing an expression of interest and uncertainty. “Are you in the right school?” Blake asked in a voice that was louder than it needed to be. “I haven’t seen you here before and I know everybody ’cause I’ve been here since kindergarten. What’s the matter with you anyway? We don’t have kids like you at this school.
And how come you’re in that thing? What, is it like a golf cart or scooter or something?”
Hailey took a deep breath. She had heard all of those same questions and lots of others many times before. Most
of the time it didn’t bother her, but today it did. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her today, but maybe it was because she
was at a new school and she was nervous. Or maybe it was because the kid yelling in her face was spitting on her
new sweater when he talked. Hailey sat up as straight as she could and looked boldly into Blake’s eyes and answered
the only question that she could remember him asking.
“No, it isn’t a scooter or something. It’s a wheelchair. And you don’t have to yell. I can hear.”
A Box Full Of Letters
$
14.95
**Awarded the Mom's Choice Silver Seal of Approval in 2012**
The Mom's Choice Awards is a worldwide program that recognizes and sets the bar for excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. |
While hunting and scavenging through steamer trunks and boxes, long forgotten in the basement of Hailey's old family home, Hailey and her friends find a shoebox full of letters dated 1942. Within the pages of those letters, the children learn about more than family and family history. They learn that prejudice and discrimination has a very long history.
Reviews
A Box Full Of Letters is a delightful, entertaining, and educational book for young readers. A witty story.
Francisco Jimenez, author of The Circuit, Breaking Through, and Reaching Out
Mom's Choice Award winner Jennifer Kuhns crafts a tale that young readers surely will enjoy. In A Box Full Of Letters the members of the Super Secret Catacomb Hunters make a 'way cool' discovery.
Joe Cortez, journalist and former Merced Sun-Star reporter
Award winning author Jennifer Kuhns tells the lively, heart-warming, and authentic story of a typical kid with iPod and homework, friends and household chores. There's just that wheelchair! When Hailey invites new friends to visit, what they discover in the basement brings alive important moments in American history. This wonderful story communicates its possitive message -- that people can fight the establishment and change the world for the better.
Arnold Anthony Schmidt, Ph.D., California State University, Stanislaus,
and author of Byron and the Rhetoric of Italian Nationalism
Reviews
A Box Full Of Letters is a delightful, entertaining, and educational book for young readers. A witty story.
Francisco Jimenez, author of The Circuit, Breaking Through, and Reaching Out
Mom's Choice Award winner Jennifer Kuhns crafts a tale that young readers surely will enjoy. In A Box Full Of Letters the members of the Super Secret Catacomb Hunters make a 'way cool' discovery.
Joe Cortez, journalist and former Merced Sun-Star reporter
Award winning author Jennifer Kuhns tells the lively, heart-warming, and authentic story of a typical kid with iPod and homework, friends and household chores. There's just that wheelchair! When Hailey invites new friends to visit, what they discover in the basement brings alive important moments in American history. This wonderful story communicates its possitive message -- that people can fight the establishment and change the world for the better.
Arnold Anthony Schmidt, Ph.D., California State University, Stanislaus,
and author of Byron and the Rhetoric of Italian Nationalism
Exerpt from A Box Full Of Letters
The friends sat motionless for what seemed like an hour to Hailey. When she looked around at their faces, Hailey noticed that they all looked as confused as she felt, all but Melissa. Hailey stared at Melissa's face for a long time trying to figure out what it was she knew. Melissa had her chin resting in her hand with her eyes all squinted up and her mouth closed in a tight line. Simon made Hailey jump when he interrupted the silence by asking Melissa what they all wanted to know. “So what gives, Lissa? What do all of those words mean and how come those…what were they...colored people…couldn't go into stores and had to use special bathrooms. Were they like green or purple or what? I don’t get it.”
The friends sat motionless for what seemed like an hour to Hailey. When she looked around at their faces, Hailey noticed that they all looked as confused as she felt, all but Melissa. Hailey stared at Melissa's face for a long time trying to figure out what it was she knew. Melissa had her chin resting in her hand with her eyes all squinted up and her mouth closed in a tight line. Simon made Hailey jump when he interrupted the silence by asking Melissa what they all wanted to know. “So what gives, Lissa? What do all of those words mean and how come those…what were they...colored people…couldn't go into stores and had to use special bathrooms. Were they like green or purple or what? I don’t get it.”
Hailey's Dream
Hailey's Dream
Written by Jennifer Kuhns
Illustrations by Patty Burgi Sneed
Illustration Assembly by Jennifer Kuhns
Written by Jennifer Kuhns
Illustrations by Patty Burgi Sneed
Illustration Assembly by Jennifer Kuhns
$
13.95
***Winner of the 2014 Kart Kids Book List Award, the 2014 Purple Dragonfly Book Award from Five Star Publications, Inc., and the 2013 Gittle List.
Hailey is a little girl in a wheelchair who wishes she could run and jump like her friends. She is in a wheelchair because she was born too early. Her brain didn't have enough time to grow all of the way, so the part that told her legs how to walk didn't work. Sometimes Hailey thinks she wants to be someone else "not" in a wheelchair. But does she, really?
Reviews by children who have read the story:
I really enjoyed the lesson Hailey learned. I think she learned that being in a wheelchair is actually a lot more fun than you
would think. -Audra, 4th grade
I like how Hailey likes to be something else and try new things, but likes to be her old self, too. -Erica, 2nd grade
I love this book because Hailey learned that she's not missing out. -Zach, 4th grade
I love how she can float out of her window in a dream, and I love the dogfish. -Josephine, preschool
I was fascinated in how she was wanting to be out of a wheelchair, but when she saw all the stuff she missed being in a
wheelchair. -Haidyn, 4th grade
Want it as an e-book? Go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Haileys-Dream-ebook/dp/B00CDZTQGO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1366828033&sr=1-1&keywords=Hailey%27s+Dream
OR
http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Hailey%27s+Dream
Reviews by children who have read the story:
I really enjoyed the lesson Hailey learned. I think she learned that being in a wheelchair is actually a lot more fun than you
would think. -Audra, 4th grade
I like how Hailey likes to be something else and try new things, but likes to be her old self, too. -Erica, 2nd grade
I love this book because Hailey learned that she's not missing out. -Zach, 4th grade
I love how she can float out of her window in a dream, and I love the dogfish. -Josephine, preschool
I was fascinated in how she was wanting to be out of a wheelchair, but when she saw all the stuff she missed being in a
wheelchair. -Haidyn, 4th grade
Want it as an e-book? Go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Haileys-Dream-ebook/dp/B00CDZTQGO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1366828033&sr=1-1&keywords=Hailey%27s+Dream
OR
http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Hailey%27s+Dream
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Paisley or Plaid…
...being your very best you! Written by Jennifer Kuhns Illustrated by MiCK ***Purple Dragonfly Award Honorable Mention Paisley or Plaid…being your very best you, is a collection of seven stories and five poems for children visiting the topics of respect, manners, acceptance, sharing, bulling, dedication, trust and family to name a few. With any luck, these stories and poems will bring about an awareness of life lessons. Mom and daugther reviews: My favorite stories were Eleanor's Empire and Grandma Sadie and the Respectometer. I liked how Eleanor’s claws came out when she was naughty. Grandma Sadie and the Respectometer was my favorite story. After my mom read it, I want to get my own Respectometer. I would like to get a Respectometer for my brother when he is naughty. --- Marissa Keene, age five My daughter and I loved reading Paisley or Plaid… being your very best you. The variety of stories and poems were appropriate for my young daughter at the age of five and also great for my 10 year old son. The stories were creative and thoughtful, and always with a lesson to be learned. I loved the poems and how they were placed throughout the book. The illustrations were adorable and very relatable. My daughter has enjoyed other books written by Jennifer Kuhns such as Hailey’s Dream. --- Janice Keene, Preschool Teacher and mom of two ****** Avaliable in either soft or hard cover.****** |
Soft bound cover
$
15.95
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Hard bound cover
$
23.95
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Miles to the Moon
Written By Jennifer Kuhns Illustrated by Edward Luena Miles to the Moon is a story about a boy named Miles who has a huge imagination and tons of hope. Miles also has something called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS. Even though POTS makes Miles’ body tired and not work very well, in his dreams and his love of all things outer space, Miles finds a way to help people with POTS. I really like the fact that this book can help a child with POTS feel that they are not alone in this world with this disease. A very positive approach. The information on the disease was concise and well explained from a personal experience perspective. Overall a very interesting and easy to read book, coupled with some fun adventure and positive thinking for a future cure of POTS. - Judith Keswick, RN, PHN, MSN, Associate Professor Retired In reading the children's book, Miles to the Moon, it is apparent the author has an incredible way of describing a debilitating medical issue to children. She does an incredible job allowing the reader an opportunity to travel to space, and even dream of a future without the POTS disability. I would highly recommend any of her children's books to those kids who want to understand their problem without all of the adult jargon that comes with talking to medical personnel. - Sherri Brown RN, MSN This book is written in such a way that the concepts are easy to understand for young readers and adults alike. What an innovative way to convey what it is for children to live with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. The author uses true imagination intertwined with real life medical effects of a debilitating condition. -Dinorah Fernandez, RN, MSN, PHN Miles to the Moon is a delightful story demonstrating the resiliency of children dealing with physical limitations. Ms. Kuhns captures the magical imagination of children and at the same time helps the reader understand the imperfect world in which we live. -Dr. Diane Katsma RN, FNP
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Lola was a rescue dog waiting to be adopted. She was a sweet, little, adventurous dog who loved to explore. But Lola wished she had a forever home. One day, her wish came true, and Lola the rescue dog was adopted and went home to live peacefully with a lady named Auntie Kay and her husband named Pete…or so they thought.
All, Taco, a cubby little guinea pig, ever did was sleep and eat taco shells and tortilla chips. But that changed when he became a kindergarten classroom’s new pet. While studying about food and good nutrition, the kindergarten children realized that Taco needed to eat better food, food for guinea pigs, not people junk food. After being exposed to new and different foods, Taco slowly becomes healthier, happier, and even, well…he thinks…handsome.
I love this adorable story! Working in the fitness industry, I definitely appreciate how Jennifer is using her talent to teach kids the importance of a healthy diet. -Aubrey Larsson, NUPT Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nursing Assistant
Lola was a rescue dog waiting to be adopted. She was a sweet, little, adventurous dog who loved to explore. But Lola wished she had a forever home. One day, her wish came true, and Lola the rescue dog was adopted and went home to live peacefully with a lady named Auntie Kay and her husband named Pete…or so they thought.
All, Taco, a cubby little guinea pig, ever did was sleep and eat taco shells and tortilla chips. But that changed when he became a kindergarten classroom’s new pet. While studying about food and good nutrition, the kindergarten children realized that Taco needed to eat better food, food for guinea pigs, not people junk food. After being exposed to new and different foods, Taco slowly becomes healthier, happier, and even, well…he thinks…handsome.
I love this adorable story! Working in the fitness industry, I definitely appreciate how Jennifer is using her talent to teach kids the importance of a healthy diet. -Aubrey Larsson, NUPT Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nursing Assistant
Looking For Lola/Taco
An old fashion flip book with two stories in one book.
$
13.95
Lilly Gets Lucky
Written and Illustrated by
Josephine Nail and Jennifer Kuhns
(supporting illustrator, Mitzi Kuhns)
Given the Story Monsters Approved seal in 2020
All Lilly wants for Christmas is to be able to see…or so she says. But, is there really
something more than the ability to see that Lilly wants? After reading Lilly’s letter to Santa,
Lilly’s parents realize that independence might just be what she really wants.
Jennifer's nine-year-old niece has joined her Aunt Jenni in her belief in "inclusion," bringing to
Jennifer's attention that she had not yet written a book about a disability with a holiday theme.
Thus, the collaborative effort between the two came to be in the writing and illustrating of Lilly
Gets Lucky.
Little Diva On Wheel: Growing Up Differently-Abled
Written by Jennifer Kuhns
2018 Royal Dragonfly Book Award
Being born ten weeks early literally put a hitch in her get-along. Weighing in at only three pounds twelve ounces, then being diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic, who knew Jennifer could live in an able bodied world as, what she calls differently-abled, with any kind of success. Here she shares the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of doing exactly that, making a place for herself in the world of non-believers and nay-sayers, with the help and support from family and friends.
Jennifer Kuhns' Little Diva On Wheels gives us insight into the life journey of a "handicapped" child and her family. Funny and engaging, Jennifer gives us a peak into and forgives us our bumbling, awkward, and occasional rude behavior towards people different than ourselves. The Articles, Reviews, and Reflections section challenges us to reflect on the treatment of disabled people through the ages. -Karen Holcomb, RNC
Excellent!! I laughed, and cried and learned so much! What a unique experience getting inside the mind and heart of someone who has been labeled, judged and written off as so much less than she is! I will be recommending this book to every human being I know. Thank you for your amazing personality and vulnerability that has allowed us, the readers, to gain such insight to what is true and real in the world of "disabilities." Tene' Sylvia, RN and mother of Gabriel-"differently-abled."
Jennifer Kuhns is a multi-award winning children's author living in Northern California. Her passion resides in literature and education, without prejudice, for children, helping them understand the world around them. Having lived with the misconceptions that often come with being disabled, Jennifer continues to strive toward the idea of inclusion and acceptance in her writing. In her first venture away from children's books, Jennifer attempts in Little Diva On Wheels, to answer some of the questions posed to her over the years...how did you do what you do.
Even Broken-Winged Divas Can Fly
Living in an able-bodies world:The continuing story of Little Diva On Wheels
Jennifer Kuhns describes her world as a quadriplegic, and her determination to do anything she chooses to do, in spite of her physical limitations. Among other accomplishments, Jennifer has a Masters degree and has published 9 books which she has written. This book is a continuation of her autobiography begun in her book, LITTLE DIVA ON WHEELS.
This book, Even Broken-Winged Divas Can Fly, is inspirational and allows people to see the upside to all life's troubles. The author, Jennifer Kuhns, shares how wanting to live life and have life experiences, being part of something, compelled her to find a way to make it so. She shows how she was even able to do things healthy-bodied people cannot do. -Debbi Mitchell, RN
A beautifully written account of an extraordinary life from the confines of a wheelchair." . . . this book made me think about what I take for granted in my daily life and how appreciative I am for my abilities. It gave me a different perspective to think about and it helped me to better understand the challenges of those who face physical adversity but persevere and succeed. I recommend this book to anyone looking to broaden their perspectives. -Fran Dempsey, Special Education Paraeducator
Even Broken-Winged Divas Can fly is a humorous account of growing up, overcoming obstacles and taking on the world with style. With family and friends by her side; it's not just about enduring trials but enduring them well. This book offers a great alternative perspective for health care providers and those who work with individuals with disabilities. The close bonds and friendships that develop between care providers and those they care for, is honest and refreshing. -Brianne Montgomery, Emergency Department Technician.
Even Broken-Winged Divas Can Fly
Living in an able-bodies world:The continuing story of Little Diva On Wheels
Jennifer Kuhns describes her world as a quadriplegic, and her determination to do anything she chooses to do, in spite of her physical limitations. Among other accomplishments, Jennifer has a Masters degree and has published 9 books which she has written. This book is a continuation of her autobiography begun in her book, LITTLE DIVA ON WHEELS.
This book, Even Broken-Winged Divas Can Fly, is inspirational and allows people to see the upside to all life's troubles. The author, Jennifer Kuhns, shares how wanting to live life and have life experiences, being part of something, compelled her to find a way to make it so. She shows how she was even able to do things healthy-bodied people cannot do. -Debbi Mitchell, RN
A beautifully written account of an extraordinary life from the confines of a wheelchair." . . . this book made me think about what I take for granted in my daily life and how appreciative I am for my abilities. It gave me a different perspective to think about and it helped me to better understand the challenges of those who face physical adversity but persevere and succeed. I recommend this book to anyone looking to broaden their perspectives. -Fran Dempsey, Special Education Paraeducator
Even Broken-Winged Divas Can fly is a humorous account of growing up, overcoming obstacles and taking on the world with style. With family and friends by her side; it's not just about enduring trials but enduring them well. This book offers a great alternative perspective for health care providers and those who work with individuals with disabilities. The close bonds and friendships that develop between care providers and those they care for, is honest and refreshing. -Brianne Montgomery, Emergency Department Technician.
