Themes in Dragonfly Surprise
Note for librarians, teachers, parents, grandparents, advocacy organizations: here are some discussion points/themes for audiences of a variety of ages.
~ "When you listen with your heart, you will see clearly." What does this mean?
• There are many meanings for this and each person will find what it means for themselves.
• One meaning is to have your heart be like a flower opening its petals, being still, listening with all of your being, open to receive, tuning in to your spirituality, like a radio tuning in to a channel.
• When you listen with your heart you will be guided by your heart and your soul to choose to live by virtues we all cherish: Bravery, Courage, Love, Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Peace, Harmony, Care, Compassion, Joy, Happiness, Serenity, Forgiveness, Openness, Appreciation, Acceptance, Tolerance, Bliss, and many more.
• Simply put your hand on your heart area and be still. Then listen to your heart.
~ Heart Awareness
• Heart awareness helps us to respond to the world in an authentic and meaningful way.
• Our hearts pick up on information that helps us make decisions in our lives.
• Our physical hearts actually have brain cells in them, thus, we actually have heart intelligence.
• Heart awareness, at the deepest level, is actually soul awareness.
~ Everyday Heroes/Heroines
(see Hero/Heroine’s journey outline on The Book page)
• Everyone who has overcome a difficulty in their life is an everyday hero/heroine.
• People with special needs have many daily difficulties, and they overcome them daily. They are everyday heroes/heroines.
• People with special needs have active minds even though they cannot speak words.
• Meaningful communication is extremely important for all people.
• Even people without special needs have difficulty being understood.
~ Dragonfly life cycle for summer reading
~ Overcoming fear of bugs, seeing their beauty and the beauty of nature
~ Overcoming any fear by facing it
~ Guardian angels: 95% of Americans believe in angels
~ Discover the multiple surprises in Dragonfly Surprise
~ Count the number of dragonflies on the covers and in the book, look for hidden ones!
~ Symbolism of the dragonfly – courage and happiness. There are symbolisms for the dragonfly in many other cultures. What are they?