Sunday 08 July

A Sheep That Dreams of Being More Than a Lamb Chop

If those mall makeover shops for grade-school girls are any indication, a young girl's fantasy career is now limited to slutty rock star, slutty model, or slightly less slutty princess. So I'm very happy--even relieved--to have been introduced to Nick Katsouris' Growing Up with Loukoumi which just may help remind my daughters of a few other options for the future.

The title character is a sheep who dreams of being a farmer, a judge, a firefighter, a cop, and even a Grammy-winning singer, albeit one dressed a little like Edith Bunker. And the main message about believing in yourself and allowing yourself to have aspirations is a good one for all kids, not just the female ones.

As a bonus, the book comes with a narrated CD whose cast reads like a who's who in Greek entertainment--Olympia Dukakis, soap star Frank Ducopoulos and American Idol's Constantine as Farmer Gus. (I know!) Also, oddly, Gloria Gaynor.

Plus your kids get a great lesson from book before you even crack the cover: $2 from every sale goes to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. -Liz

Congrats to Sarah W who won the plush Loukomi doll along with the book.

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