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Contact: Ron Raymond
317-844-5638 or 317-850-4120
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How Do We Tell Little Sara About 9/11?

On September 12, 2001, seven-year old Sara looked up with teary eyes and said, "Mommy, why don't we just get those bad guys, so they won't hurt us?" Interviews with children on all the TV networks showed them making similar comments about the terrorists. "Kill 'em all." "Wipe 'em out." "Get those bullies." What did Sara's mother tell her then? What do we tell them now, three years later?

When author J. A. Louthain heard those comments after 9/11, it worried her enough that she wrote a book titled Ame the Elephant, Terrorized by Evil Mice. "Children are savvy today," she says. "They understand war and conflict from TV and video games, but they don't understand how hard it is to deal with snipers who attack us and then hide among innocent citizens." She decided to explain it in her book through the use of an allegory.

Ame the elephant (America) is asleep on his side when he's bitten on all four of his feet (the four planes) by "about 20" evil mice (the 19 terrorists). Louthain cleverly shows how poor, injured Ame must now use animal allies and informants to determine the best way to stop the evil mice, so he and his friends can sleep peacefully again.

Now a lesson in history, Ame the Elephant, with 10 beautiful color illustrations by Andrea Eberbach, is a non-violent, entertaining story targeted to children 8 and up. Louthain, a retiree from the Department of Defense, hopes parents will read the book with their kids and teachers will use it as an adjunct to history studies about 9/11. To help them out, she's developed a free Teachers Guide that asks the students to guess the people and countries the characters represent.

Craig O. Thompson, renowned author of Omar and counterterrorism expert, has endorsed the book and written a Note to Teachers and Parents that's included. According to Thompson, "Ame the Elephant is the first book to bring together the essence of children's questions... They [colorful analogies] demonstrate to children the importance of getting along, how to initiate dialogue between friends and enemies, and the significance of understanding multi-dimensional cultures."

Ame the Elephant, Terrorized by Evil Mice can be ordered by check from Alexie Books, 217 Wicklow Dr., Murrells Inlet, SC 29576, by credit card at 843-357-0282 or by visiting http://www.alexiebooks.com. The price is $12.97 and shipping/handling are FREE! It's also available at Barnes and Noble stores and on amazon.com.