Author Looking to Teach Gratitude to Hingham Children

Connecticut author and active mother of four, Karin Lefranc will bring her children's book "A Quest for Good Manners," to the bookstore on Friday in hopes of teaching gratitude and manners to children.

Lefranc's new book, "A Quest for Good Manners," helps parents and teachers instill these important character traits in an entertaining and fun story about a princess and her pet dragon, who are banished from the castle for bad manners.

By releasing this book this past summer, it is Lefranc's hope to make more children thankful for the holiday season. The author believes  teaching gratitude creates happier and more focused children.

“Manners are so important because they change how your child sees the world,” Lefranc said.

"A Quest for Good Manners" was recently awarded a Mom’s Choice Award Gold seal this month.

With four children of her own, all under 10 years old,Lefranc understands the never-ending quest for parents to teach young boys and girls empathy and consideration.

“As parents we are constantly reminds our kids to say 'please' and 'thank you' and this book serves as just another tool to deliver that message," Lefranc said.

Parents have come up to Lefranc and thanked her for writing such an inspiring children's book.

Lefranc will be reading and signing copies of her new book on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at the Hingham Barnes & Noble.

Aside from writing and teaching etiquette, Lefranc runs The Firefly Center in Avon, Connecticut www.thefireflycenter.com), which offers Love & Logic Parenting classes, Kids Yoga, Fun Manners classes and more! She and her family settled in nearby Simsbury after Lefranc traveled the world, working for IDG Books to license the “Dummies” series (http://www.dummies.com/) into different languages. "A Quest for Good Manners" is Lefranc’s first children’s book.

"A Quest for Good Manners" can be downloaded as an app on the iPhone or iPad or found at the Hingham Barnes & Noble.  For more information on Lefranc and her new book, fans can visit her book's Facebook Page.

Four things Lefranc suggests parents do to have a wonderful Thanksgiving with their children:

1.     Have your child help you set the table for Thanksgiving. They will feel important contributing to this important meal and they will learn the parts to a place setting.

2.     Discuss appropriate behavior with kids before Thanksgiving. Role play meeting Uncle Richard and Aunt Sue, reinforcing eye contact, a hug or a firm handshake, and a smile.

3.     Practice good table manners in these weeks before Thanksgiving, including putting your napkins in your laps, elbows off the table, passing serving bowls to the right, saying please and thank you etc.

4.     Find a rock about the size of a child’s fist and have them decorate it with paint and glitter and call it a Gratitude Rock. As each person passes it around the table, they can say something that they are grateful for. Keep the rock somewhere visible so you can use it during other meal times—even Tuesday night take-out pizza!