Hey everyone!
So I haven't got much news to share on Mr Millet's Farm! Had a few more no's from publishers and been extremely busy with my last few months of my Masters! However the final version on Mr Millet's Farm is available to buy now!
So I thought I would write a bit about all of the things that I have been reading about recently in the news and on social media! As you all know, the message within Mr Millet's Farm is about accepting and celebrating the things that make you unique, be that a disability, physical or personality characteristic or your favourite hobby! I want children to read my books and think that they are awesome and beautiful and can do anything that they want to!
So I read about a beautiful girl named Madeline, who has been taking over social media to tell people all about her dream to be a model! This is a photo of her...
So I haven't got much news to share on Mr Millet's Farm! Had a few more no's from publishers and been extremely busy with my last few months of my Masters! However the final version on Mr Millet's Farm is available to buy now!
So I thought I would write a bit about all of the things that I have been reading about recently in the news and on social media! As you all know, the message within Mr Millet's Farm is about accepting and celebrating the things that make you unique, be that a disability, physical or personality characteristic or your favourite hobby! I want children to read my books and think that they are awesome and beautiful and can do anything that they want to!
So I read about a beautiful girl named Madeline, who has been taking over social media to tell people all about her dream to be a model! This is a photo of her...
Why am I telling you about Madeline?
Madeline is a beautiful red head from Australia with big dreams of becoming a model! She is 18 years old and apparently (from everything that I have read) is very sporty, competing in Basketball in the special Olympics! You may have already heard about her, as she has a huge following on her facebook page! So I am talking about her as she is the personification of the message that I am trying to send from my books - everyone should celebrate the things that make them unique and go for their dreams!! Madeline is trying to make a positive change, not only to how the fashion and beauty industries view people with Down syndrome, but how society as a whole view people with Down syndrome! I wish her all of the best with it, I'm sure with her determination she will go far! Let's be honest, she is gorgeous!!!
Madeline is a beautiful red head from Australia with big dreams of becoming a model! She is 18 years old and apparently (from everything that I have read) is very sporty, competing in Basketball in the special Olympics! You may have already heard about her, as she has a huge following on her facebook page! So I am talking about her as she is the personification of the message that I am trying to send from my books - everyone should celebrate the things that make them unique and go for their dreams!! Madeline is trying to make a positive change, not only to how the fashion and beauty industries view people with Down syndrome, but how society as a whole view people with Down syndrome! I wish her all of the best with it, I'm sure with her determination she will go far! Let's be honest, she is gorgeous!!!
What else have I been reading about?!
So a few weeks ago I posted a link to an article that I read about some dolls that are being created thanks to a facebook page going viral!! These dolls are being made to portray different disabilities, such as a doll with a birthmark or one with hearing aids. Posting this article opened up an interesting discussion on my facebook page about the effects of these dolls on children with disabilities. Some felt that a doll like this could draw more attention to their disabilities, which I understand for some of the dolls. However I think for some children, having a doll similar to them could help boost their self-esteem. My only problem with these dolls in the price! I was shocked that someone would charge £69 for a doll! I must admit, I did have to google the price of a barbie these days to see if this was the average sort of price! According to Argos, most barbies are on sale for around £20-30 these days! So it is rather unfair that for a child to have a doll that is similar to them, their parents will have to pay at least double the price of a standard doll! Hopefully if these dolls sell and become more popular, they will be able to reduce the price!
So a few weeks ago I posted a link to an article that I read about some dolls that are being created thanks to a facebook page going viral!! These dolls are being made to portray different disabilities, such as a doll with a birthmark or one with hearing aids. Posting this article opened up an interesting discussion on my facebook page about the effects of these dolls on children with disabilities. Some felt that a doll like this could draw more attention to their disabilities, which I understand for some of the dolls. However I think for some children, having a doll similar to them could help boost their self-esteem. My only problem with these dolls in the price! I was shocked that someone would charge £69 for a doll! I must admit, I did have to google the price of a barbie these days to see if this was the average sort of price! According to Argos, most barbies are on sale for around £20-30 these days! So it is rather unfair that for a child to have a doll that is similar to them, their parents will have to pay at least double the price of a standard doll! Hopefully if these dolls sell and become more popular, they will be able to reduce the price!
I was thinking about when I was younger, and this is the only toy that I can ever remember seeing depicting a disability. I loved this barbie, she was supposed to be a college photography student (If I remember rightly!!!)
And finally...
So a friend posted a link to my facebook wall the other day, to tell me about a campaign currently running to petition Playmobil to make toys representing children with disabilities. It already has over 46,000 supporters!
So the moral of the story?
People are starting to make attempts to change the way the public think of people with disabilities, to influence current and future generations! And clearly facebook is a brilliant platform for making a difference!! Please keep checking out my facebook page and help me to get my book to go viral!
Let me know what you think!
Cat xx
People are starting to make attempts to change the way the public think of people with disabilities, to influence current and future generations! And clearly facebook is a brilliant platform for making a difference!! Please keep checking out my facebook page and help me to get my book to go viral!
Let me know what you think!
Cat xx