In her debut children’s book, “Gilly the Grateful Superhero,” author Ruth King demonstrates the importance for children of all ages to be grateful for even the simplest of things that they may otherwise take for granted.
Written completely in rhyme, the story follows Bobbie, a young boy who struggles to see the positive in his day-to-day life. Bobbie meets Gilly, a superhero whose power is to instill gratitude into every person he meets. Gilly teaches young Bobbie how to see the positive in every situation and how he is lucky to have the blessings of education, family and so much more.
Proceeds from the book are being donated to King’s ongoing charity projects in Honduras. To learn more, please visit www.gillythegratefulsuperhero.
I had a chance to interview the author to learn more.
Why did you decide to write this book?
My inspiration for writing my book was to make sure that my three kids would not need to wait until they were adults to truly grasp The incredible power of gratitude!
At 25 years old I read the international bestseller “The Secret” by Ronda Byrne. This was a tipping point in my life and it changed my outlook on everything. It kick started an obsession with personal development and positivity, I devoted myself to practicing gratitude daily, reading more, learning more, listening to podcasts and bettering myself whenever and however possible.
During this journey, I kept hearing the same thing over and over mentioned on podcasts and audiobooks, so many spiritual experts were saying “I just wished I learned this sooner”. I agreed completely and didn’t want my kids to ever say the same. I set out to find them a book that we could all read together and learn about the power gratitude but I couldn’t find anything I felt my energetic young boys and toddler girl would sit through. In that moment I thought to myself, “well if I can’t find the right book for them, perhaps other parents are the same?”, It was at that very moment that I decided to write “Gilly The Grateful Superhero”.
How can Superhero’s show gratitude?
The concept of the book is that “Gilly”, who is a gratitude superhero displays his powers by showing children how to see the positive in every situation. His super power is being able to highlight to kids of all ages how to find the gratitude in everyday things such as food, education, family time etc. Take the section where little Bobbie our main character is upset that’s it’s raining so he no longer can go out outside to play. Enter Gilly who points out how grateful he should be for the animals and trees as they get nourishment from the rain. The concept is that Gilly will always remain in the back of the child’s mind helping them find the gratitude in everything!
What are other ways parents can encourage their kids to show gratitude?
There are so many awesome ways parents can encourage their kids to practice more gratitude. One thing we do to encourage more gratitude is every single morning we ask each of our children to tell us five things they are grateful for. We also do this before they go to sleep. This practice is a great way for kids to remind themselves how lucky they are at the beginning and end of every day. Also as a parent or guardian it’s a wonderful feeling to hear a child talking of how thankful they are for the most basic of things! Even very young children will benefit from this practice.
Another way we can encourage more gratitude is making our kids aware of other cultures around the world and especially the less fortunate ones. We currently live in Honduras which is one of the poorest countries in the world, seeing this level of poverty first hand is a major wake up call for a child in regards to how incredibly lucky they are. Obviously, not all are able to see this level of poverty first hand but they can still learn about it through books and online. Learning about less fortunate countries not only encourages gratitude but an understanding of the importance of giving and charity. This is something my family and I are very passionate about. Proceeds from my book will go directly towards the several projects we do to support the the children of Honduras by building schools and homes for those in desperate needs.
About the author
Ruth King is a successful Irish mom of three young children currently living in Honduras with her husband. She is passionate about self-improvement and spirituality and is dedicated to educating children on the importance of appreciation and personal development through word and imagery. King and her husband are charity advocates for their community and spend time contributing to several ongoing projects for both the children and the people of Honduras.
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