My 5 year old is on the verge of reading!  Really reading!  I am so excited for her because now she can open any book and read it to herself and get most of the words to the story through her sight words and thus the general idea of the book.  Her world is about to open wide with colorful characters and fantastical places!

So when I got the new children’s book, Cooper and Me in the mail, I tucked it away until she got home so we could read it together.

Based on the real life relationship of the author’s daughter and her black lab dog, Cooper and Me is poised to help moms and dads everywhere help kids be less fearful of going to school.  Wonderfully illustrated by 11 year old Alexa, the co-author with her mother Monique Peters, the book is bright and eye catching and holds a child’s attention over and over again!

The story of a girl, afraid of her first day of school, is relate-able and common for most families.  A lot of children fear what might happen in the “unknown” and wonder if they’ll have a great time and make any friends.  They often want to take a loved pet, or a favorite item to school with them!

Well, obviously, a black lab named Cooper can not go to school!  So the little girl’s mother comes up with the perfect solution!  A mini stuffed Cooper!

Watch children of any age, mine are 5, 4 and 2, engage with the little girl, fall in love with Cooper, and ask again and again to read it!  It is a well written, fun and engaging book, and the perfect tool to help a child scared of a new situation!

And as a bonus, included with Cooper and Me is a fun CD with original songs about Cooper!  My girls have not let me remove it from the CD player of the car!  The CD even includes a narrative to the book!  The book also comes with instructions on how to download the Cooper & Me theme song right from your computer!

But my favorite part of the Cooper and Me experience is that Alexa and her mother are giving part of the proceeds from each book sale to a wonderful charity!  Petra Nemcova (Dancing With The Stars) has an amazing charity that helps sustain educational programs for children affected by natural disasters.  Find out more about the Happy Hearts Fund here!

PURCHASE Cooper and Me at CooperandMe.com for only $12.99!  Plus check out all of the other Cooper books and gear available too!

And thanks to the generous authors, 11 year old Alexa and her mother Monica Peters, I get to give one lucky winner a copy of the fun book!  Just click [continue reading] for easy Rafflecopter entry!