For Immediate Release

For an interview with Susan Jeffers
or review copies of I Can Handle It!,
please contact Karrie Hyatt,
Jeffers Press, (877) 450-4008,
karrie@jefferspress.com

Give Your Child a Priceless Gift...Self-Confidence
New book teaches young children that they can act lovingly
and powerfully in any situation that confronts them.

Santa Monica, CA. (May 2006) - If you are like most parents, your greatest hope for your children is to see them confidently facing life. It breaks our hearts to see our little ones, frightened and insecure about so many things in their lives. It is with this thought in mind that internationally acclaimed self-help author, Dr. Susan Jeffers, was inspired to write a book designed to provide children with a special tool to take away many of the fears and insecurities that create so much unhappiness. Susan states, "I know how well my confidence building tools work for adults. I believe they work just as well, if not better, for children." The end result of this inspiration is a book for 3 to 7 year-olds entitled, I Can Handle It!: 50 Confidence-building Stories to Empower Your Child, (Jeffers Press, September 2006). "I sure wish I had this book when my children were young," quips Susan.

To co-author I Can Handle It!, Susan called upon a friend, Donna Gradstein, who shares her concerns about children. Aside from being an attorney and writer, she is a mother of five. Susan rightly assumed that, in addition to being a knowledgeable writing partner, Donna had a good information pool when it came to children's fears! The result is an excellent book containing heart-warming stories that reflect many children's responses to the question, "What upsets you most?"

I Can Handle It! is a unique book for children for a number of reasons:

    1) Susan is a great believer in the power of affirmations to move us from the weakest part of who we are to the most powerful and loving part of who we are. And one of her favorite affirmations is "No matter what happens, I can handle it!" Versions of this affirmation are featured in the multi-million copy seller, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. Judging from responses from fans all over the world, this affirmation, when repeated often enough, is life-changing. Adapting this affirmation to children's issues, explains the power of this book to ease the fears in children's heads and hearts.

    2) At the beginning of the book, Susan presents an effective guide showing parents or caretakers how to best use the material in the book. In addition to learning the value of affirmations, parents learn how the different stories can create an opportunity for meaningful parent-child communication to occur. So many parents yearn for better discussions with their children, and reading this book with their child is a wonderful place to begin.

    3) Each story, accompanied by delightful illustrations, introduces you to one of the 50 children learning the "I can handle it" lesson in a particular aspect of life. The key to the success of the book lies, not only in the subject matter, but in the format as well. For example, little Michael tells us...

"Sometimes I feel scared in my bed at night. I think about monsters and insects and bad people in my room. Even though my parents are right down the hallway, I still get scared. But, I can handle it...

There are lots of things I can do to make me feel less scared. I can hug my favorite stuffed animal. His name is Roar the Lion. Or I can ask Mommy to buy me a night-light so I can see better in the dark. Or I can keep a flashlight by my bed. I bet monsters and insects and bad people don't like flashlights shining in their eyes. I know I will work out what makes me feel better. I just have to use my brain. See,I can handle it! No matter what happens, I can handle it!"

The words "I can handle it" appears 3 times in each of the 50 stories, so that by the end of the book, the child has heard and/or said "I can handle it!" 150 times! Amazingly empowering words...for both parent and child! With enough readings of the book, the words, "No matter what happens, I can handle it!" roam through the child's mind when facing any new situation drowning out the voice of fear and giving an instant boost of confidence.

4) Most children's books cover only one issue. I Can Handle It! covers 50 issues having to do with:

  • Fear - e.g., "Today is my first day of school. I'm scared to go into my classroom."
  • Frustration - e.g., Lots of other kids know how to read already, but not me."
  • Pain - e.g., "I hope I never have to go to a hospital."
  • Sadness and loss - e.g., "My dad got a new job and now we have to move to a new town";
  • Big, big loss - e.g., "My friend Bobby's father died."
  • Anger - e.g., "My little sister, Megan, is ill all the time. My parents never have enough time for me."
  • Embarrassment- e.g., "Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I have wet my bed."
  • Responsibility- e.g., "Uh oh! I just spilled some orange juice on the floor!"
  • Guilt - e.g., "Yesterday I took a chocolate from the shop when my mommy and the man behind the counter weren't looking."
  • Concern for the world - e.g., "I was watching television and I saw soldiers fighting each other with guns. Why do people fight?"

As in Michael's story, there is an "I can handle it" solution for each situation presented, thereby reaffirming that no circumstance is so difficult that it can't be overcome. Imagine reading through each of these scenarios with your children and, in the process, helping them realize that all difficulties in life can be handled in a powerful and loving way. By helping to instill in them the "I can handle it" lesson, you'll be giving your children a priceless gift that will last a lifetime.

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About the Authors:

Susan Jeffers, Ph.D. is a best-selling author and celebrated speaker. Sales of her works are well into the millions, reaching more than one hundred countries and having been translated into thirty-six languages. Susan's eighteen books include Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, End the Struggle and Dance with Life, Embracing Uncertainty, Life is Huge!, The Feel the Fear Guide to Lasting Love, The Little Book of Confidence and The Little Book of Peace of Mind, as well as a Fear-Less series of affirmation books and audios. In 2004 The Times of the U.K. named Susan "the Queen of Self-Help" - ranking her alongside such influential leaders as Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama. She lives with her husband, Mark Shelmerdine in Los Angeles. Her popular website is www.susanjeffers.com.

Donna Gradstein, J.D. is a founding member of the Los Angeles law firm Gradstein & Luskin. Prior to establishing the law firm with her husband, Henry Gradstein, she was a lawyer for Columbia Pictures and an independent documentary filmmaker. She has five children and lives with her family in Santa Barbara, California.

About the Book:

I Can Handle It!: 50 Confidence-building Stories to Empower Your Child is being published in paperback in September 2006 by Jeffers Press (ISBN 0-9777618-0-0, $9.95).

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