Sunny’s Story, written by Ginger Katz is a drug prevention book for all ages. It is a compelling story for children, teenagers, parents, grandparents, teachers and more. Sunny’s Story tells of joyful times and sad times, and of how a dog’s best friend was needlessly lost to drug abuse.
It is narrated through the eyes, ears and mind of Sunny, the family beagle. The story tells the ups and downs of life with his young master Ian, beginning with their meeting at an animal shelter, and ending with a futile effort to ward off disaster
Sunny’s Story is read at many dinner tables across the country, in schools, libraries, as part of Courage to Speak® Drug Prevention Curricula for elementary, middle and high school students as well as a standalone book for children of all ages, parents, grandparents, teachers and professionals in the field of treatment and prevention.
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Ginger Katz signing autographed copies of her book Sunny’s Story.
Audio Excerpts From The Story
Sunny Story is being read to an elementary school class.
Ginger Katz tells her son Ian’s story through the family’s soulful beagle who was Ian’s special friend. Sunny is a perceptive non-human narrator with very human feelings and a gentle buffer that allows young readers the necessary distance needed to deal with this difficult subject. Sunny is a silent observer of the tragedy which led to the founding of the Courage to Speak® Foundation.
Sunny gets a new home.
“My name is Sunny. I’m a white, brown and black Beagle with short legs and long ears that blow in the wind when I run. I live with Ginger and Larry in a house by the ocean. We are all very sad because once we had the best boy in the world. His name was Ian, and this is the story of how he was taken from us.”
Sunny notices a change
“…with school, sports, and friends, Ian began to spend more time away from home, but every night we still curled up together and went to sleep. For a long time everything seemed perfect. Then it wasn’t. Somehow Ian had changed. When Ian was in eighth grade he became moody and started to do things that he knew his parents wouldn’t like. Ginger and Larry weren’t too worried at first. Being moody is part of being a teenager, but this was different. There’s a sadness in Ian that he tried to hide, but I heard it whenever he argued with his parents.”
A Few Comments from Professionals
“They loved reading about Ian’s life, finding the signs where his life began to go astray, and culminating in how he could have avoided his outcome.”
Ellen Seltzer, (Connecticut) 6th grade teacher
“This book is an important and unique addition to the list of preventive tools so necessary for children in today’s world.”
Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Professor of Practice and Associate Dean, Harvard School of Public Health
“Sunny’s Story is a perfect way to introduce the sensitive topic of substance abuse to children in elementary, middle and high school. It engages the students at the onset and keeps their attention throughout.”
Dominick Splendorio, Health Educator
