Princess Amber
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
"It is the heart of a true princess, to dance upon the stage,
With lights and music, tutus and ballet shoes but first to amaze,
The walking stick (her old faithful friend) simply had to go,
For a princess ballerina works upon her toes.
From far and wide the audience came to see the princess wonder,
In the beautiful lights and friend at side it really made you ponder,
Was this a dance or was it a performance of heavenly grandeur,
Not a dry eye or a life untouched by the display of this beautiful dancer.
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Book Details
About the Book
Princess Amber was written as a celebration of the short but amazing life of a young child in the author’s class. It talks about all the activities that moved the heart of this little girl. Born with a severe medical condition and walking only with assistance, she desired more than anything else to dance on the stage. So determined was she to dance, she threw away her walking stick and never used it again.
She had an international following. The Lion’s Club in Australia hosted an international gathering of the Lions in Sydney, and she appeared in front of them all as one with a triumphant spirit. Film crews came from Chicago to do a documentary on her and her school. The Lion’s Club in California is named after her.
The governor general of Australia was a special friend. She came to Amber’s school to open a playground for children with special needs. Amber presented her with a bouquet of flowers. She, in turn, asked Amber and her friends to come to Admiralty House for a special Christmas party that she was hosting.
The book tells of all the adventures this amazing child experienced. Her mother wanted the book published as an encouragement to parents who look at their newborn baby, with huge medical problems, and wonder whatever is going to become of their little one. Her heart is that all will be encouraged and be overcomers, supported by so much love from so many people.
About the Author
The author has spent many years as a special education teacher in a unit for children with physical disabilities and severe medical conditions. The children there had an amazing zest for life and would relish all that a day at school brought forth. School was fun and provided such a relief from the endless medical appointments and hospitalization. The author gained a master’s degree in special education with a qualitative thesis featuring the impact on family life of having a child with a disability. Working closely with parents and families of children with disabilities allowed the author to share in the joys and heartaches these amazing people went through.
There were many opportunities for the author to write stories about the children in the class and read them to the children when they were sad or upset. The children with autism especially responded well to these stories. Laughter was always present and many would create outrageous tricks that would bring even more laughter. A special bond was forged between teacher and family. Parents would ask for the teacher to write special stories about their child when that child lost the battle for life. In that special unit, all knew how to celebrate life, and so there were many times to party and enjoy all that they could do. When new gains were made such as first steps, everyone celebrated, and it was time for a new story to be written.