Winter's Tale review and giveaway

If you want to tell your child an inspirational storiy, look no further than the animal books by Craig, Juliana and Isabella Hatkoff. They're the New York Times Bestselling Authors of Owen & Mazee, as well as two other books that my kids have read and loved: Knut and Looking for Miza. I jumped at the chance to preview a copy of their latest book, Winter's Tail, because I was sure our whole family would love it -- and we have.

The Basics
Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again tells the true-life story of a young dolphin named Winter. Here's a video of Winter being featured on NBC news:




Here's a synopsis of the book, from the publishers:

Winter is a dolphin. Just over two years ago, when she was a baby, she was rescued from a crab trap, her tail seriously damaged. Winter was rushed to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a marine animal hospital. It wasn't clear that she would survive. She did, but eventually the tail fell off and Winter compensated by swimming more like a fish than a dolphin which was seriously damaging her spine.

But for the last year, Winter has been learning how to use a prosthetic tail. The idea came from a company that makes prosthetics for humans. It was very challenging but Winter is thriving and using her new tail with great command. The word has gotten out about Winter. Visitors are traveling in droves to Clearwater to visit Winter who has become an inspiration to adults and children alike, especially to children who are amputees themselves. The tale doesn't end there. The special technology used for Winter's prosthetic tail is being used to develop prosthetics for Iraq war veterans who have especially sensitive injuries.

And if you want to find out even more about Winter, you can "meet" her on Wednesday, October 7 at 1:00pm, on a Virtual Field Trip to her home at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium! Scholastic is featuring a Winter Webcast featuring some fun facts about dolphins, author Craig Hatkoff, the CEO of Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and Winter herself!


The Bongga
I can't say enough great things about this book. I love the gorgeous photographs, the informative facts in the afterword. Even the little tail-less dolphin sketch on the inside cover is adorable.

Best of all, of course, is Winter's tail -- I mean tale. Oh, you know what I mean. It really touched me, especially when I thought of all the children who get to read about Winter. I can't even imagine how inspiring this story could be to children who are struggling to overcome adversities or learning to cope with disabilities. If this little dolphin can do it, maybe they can too.

My kids absolutely loved this book, just like they love all the Hatkoffs' previous books. The great thing about all their books is that although their books are about animals, they're really about overcoming adversity through a can-do attitude and the help and support of family and friends. That's something even humans can relate to and admire.


The Blah
How could I possibly say anything negative about Winter, her tail, or her tale? That would be like bashing kittens and puppies and fields of daisies!


The Bottom Line
Like all of the Hatkoffs' animal tales, Winter's Tail combines a heartwarming and inspiring story with a generous dash of animal cuteness -- the perfect recipe for a great children's book.


Win It!
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will be selected to receive a Winter's Tale prize pack, featuring:

* Dolphin Plush
* Dolphin Keychain
* Copy of Winter's Tale: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again book
* Winter's Tale game for Nintendo DS

For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following (please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

1) Grab my button -- it's on the left hand sidebar, or click here to get it -- and post it on your blog! (leave a comment here with a link to your site).

2) Leave a comment on any of my blog posts on Finding Bonggamom (leave a comment here with the link to the post that you commented on).

3) Blog about this giveaway and include a link to the giveaway post (leave a comment here with a link to your post).

4) Tweet this giveaway (leave a comment with a link to your tweet). Here is a sample tweet you can copy and paste:

"Winter's Tale" giveaway: dolphin toy, keychain, book, NintendoDS game -- from @bonggafinds http://tinyurl.com/ybpk3f5


Maximum of 5 entries per person. US mailing addresses only. This giveaway ends at midnight PST on October 20, 2009.; I will draw a winner at random on October 21 and post the winner's name on the comments section soon after. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!



I received a product sample for this post, but no monetary compensation. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.