It’s been a joy to connect with readers of You Are My Friend: The Story of Mister Rogers and His Neighborhood, which shares the story behind Fred’s iconic message: “You’ve made this day a special day by just your being you. There’s no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.”
Fred’s words honored the uniqueness of each individual. In that spirit, we’re offering free personalized bookplates that you can place inside a copy of You Are My Friend to create a one-of-a-kind gift.
Just send an email through this link on the website: https://www.aimeereidbooks.com/contact/ Let us know the name(s) of the recipient(s) and the address where you’d like the bookplate mailed. I’ll autograph the bookplate with a personalized message and send it out. (Postage is free for the first 100 respondents. After that the small shipping cost of $2.00 CAD may apply.)
Happy holidays and warm wishes for a joy-filled new year.
I wasn’t able to watch the television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood until I became a mother, so my eldest child and I got to know it together. We learned the opening and closing songs, and Rachel looked forward to the puppets’ new adventures in each episode.
As a teacher, I was impressed by how much Fred respected children. He told them the truth. He also showed them that all of their feelings were manageable. I aspired to build the emotional foundation of our home firmly on the kind of unconditional acceptance that Fred Rogers demonstrated.
Day after day, we listened as Mister Rogers looked right into the camera and shared his time-honored message: “You’ve made this day a special day by just your being you. There’s no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.”*
illustration of Freddie Rogers and Grandpa McFeely (c) Matt Phelan
As I researched my book, I was fascinated to discover that these words were shared with Fred by his Grandpa McFeely. They stayed with Mister Rogers throughout his life. In fact, the quotation above comes directly from Fred Rogers’ public testimony to the United States senate on behalf of public television.
The last image of the book is of Fred Rogers looking out at the reader—just as he connected with us one-by-one through his television program—and repeating his grandpa’s message.
My hope in writing You Are My Friend is that readers everywhere will receive those words and allow them to sink deep within. No matter our ages, we all need to hear them.
You are valuable and important—just as you are.
Giveaway:
I’m giving away four signed copies of You Are My Friend, one to each of four winners.
Here’s how to enter:
You can enter the draw a total of four times, once in each of the following ways.
Comment on this blog post
Retweet my pinned tweet about the giveaway: @aimeereidbooks
Tag someone on my Instagram post about the giveaway: @aimeereidbooks
The giveaway closes at 12:00 noon EST on August 13, 2019, and I will contact the winners.
* Fred Rogers, testimony, Extension of Authorizations under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. Hearings, Ninety-first Congress, first session, S. 1242; April 30 and May 1, 1969. Senate Committee on Commerce, Subcommittee on Communications, Washington, D.C.
You Are My Friend is a work of fiction. This book is an expression of admiration of Fred Rogers, the man and the artist, by the author and illustrator. This book is not associated with or endorsed by The Fred Rogers Company.
