Freddy the Foster Frog

Book excerpt: This beautifully illustrated, inspirational fable is about a little frog named Freddy who is rescued by a kind, old lady named Elinor.It is based on an event experienced between the author and Elinor, a wonderful ninety-three year old that inspired this rhyming fabled story.While escaping from poverty and his abusive father, Freddy runs away and hides behind Elinor's trash can. She takes him in, cares for his wounds, and showers him with the love he had been missing at home. While getting settled into Elinor's beautiful little house, Freddy the frog, comes to love his new surroundings.Elinor introduces him to some new friends who are other animals, now her adopted 'kids'. Freddy finds that he has many things in common with these new friends - Yankee, Rex, Sue and Junior. They learn a lot of life lessons while having fun and helping Elinor around the house. Wise Elinor helps them learn to overcome fear through God's love and through taking risks. The story ends with a test in faith and courage when the whole family goes for a day to the zip lines and soars over the trees. This is a highlight in both Freddy's and Elinor's lives where they both find new motivation to let the past go and move forward in life.The purpose of this fable is threefold: to open a window to create empathy for neglected, orphaned and abused children, to act as a door to elicit action to change the future for the vulnerable and to act as a mirror to promote healing for those who see themselves reflected in the characters. The moral or lesson in this story teaches that taking a risk to trust others creates courage to soar over life's troubles.