The Montgomery County Humane Society and dreamBIG Press, publisher of the new Kitty Cats book series, are partnering in an effort to raise awareness about bullying in the community. The move comes just as kids around the country are heading back to school. Bullying has become an important issue that parents and schools are facing across the nation.
“It’s exciting for us to team up with dreamBIG Press to help address the issue of bullying in our community,” says BJ Altschul, director of humane education at the Montgomery County Humane Society. “Using animals in this awareness is a win-win situation, because children learn to be more compassionate toward each other, as well as toward animals.”
In his first book of the Kitty Cats series, “The First Day of School,” Peter J. Goodman addresses the issue of bullying. Through a cast of cat characters, he helps children learn what bullying is and what parents and classmates can do to help address it. As children read and discuss the Kitty Cats book, they can identify with and learn to have compassion for the characters. Meanwhile, they learn an important message about being accepting of others’ differences.
“We all know how important it is to teach our children tolerance, especially when we live in such a diverse world,” says Peter J. Goodman, author of the first book in a new series, “We’re All Different But We’re All Kitty Cats,” which released on August 1, 2012. “Yet we don’t always know the best way to go about it. My book is a tool in that quest. It helps teach tolerance and empathy, and children love the characters and story.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, bullying occurs when someone repeatedly tries to harm another person they believe is weaker. It can take multiple forms, including physical (e.g., hitting, kicking, pushing, etc.), verbal (e.g., threatening, teasing, etc.), and social (e.g., rumors, exclusion, etc.). In recent years, cyber-bullying has also become more widespread; this involves bullying through the use of electronic means, including online or through text messaging.
To learn more about the Montgomery County Humane Society, visit the site at www.mchumane.org. To learn more about the book series or to purchase the volume that addresses bullying, visit www.kittycatsbook.com.
About dreamBIG Press
dreamBIG Press is a publishing house that has created a series of children’s books titled We’re All Different But We’re All Kitty Cats. The books are designed for elementary-school-aged children, to tackle common issues that they may encounter such as bullying, childhood fears, confidence, being different, and making friends. Through the use of a cast of cats, the author helps children better understand those issues, and learn how to deal with them. The company was started by Peter J. Goodman, a multimedia children’s author and president of Gut Instinct Creative, an award-winning marketing communications company. For more information about dreamBIG Press or the book series, visit the site at: www.kittycatsbook.com or our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/kittycatsbook.
About the Montgomery County Humane Society:
The Montgomery County Humane Society in Rockville, MD, is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that has provided animal sheltering services for Montgomery County since 1958. As an open admission shelter that never turns an animal away, MCHS receives funds to operate the Montgomery County Animal Shelter under a grant from the Montgomery County Government and from private donations. The only full-service animal shelter in the county, MCHS handled more than 8,200 animals in FY2012. Programs and services include adoption, foster care, lost and found, rescue, education, and volunteering. Visit our website to learn more, or call 240-773-5960 option 4. Hours to visit with the animals are weekdays, noon-7pm, and weekends, noon-5pm; closed Wednesdays.
