A Girl Called ROUND is about a little girl named Olivia Catherine Amanda Mae Brown who more than anything wants to be a butterfly in her community play, ‘The Backyard Ballet.’ Olivia’s classmates tease and bully her into believing she’s too big to dance. After spending time with her grandmother in the garden and a fantastic adventure later that night; she begins to believe in and accept herself instead listening to the taunting words of others and finds her own unique wings.
A Girl Called ROUND is an illustrative children’s book addressing the issues of bullying, body diversity and self-love in a creative and compassionate manner. The story is based on my daughter’s experience and the bullying she encountered in school. The simple words of encouragement and faith from Olivia's grandmother heighten the experience of Olivia’s journey with the butterfly. The power of Grandma’s message transports Olivia to a place hidden deep within and resonates in familiarity as she perseveres to truly believe in herself! While ROUND has an anti-bullying and kindness message, it is much more than that. It's an imaginative story that encourages children to embrace their unique individuality and truly believe in themselves from the inside out.
Children’s author and storyteller, S.R. Taylor began writing bouncy and colorful stories about shy, curious children who don’t know how powerful they are—in the backseat of her parents’ traveling station wagon. Former Air Force brat turned preacher’s daughter, Taylor now lives in a treehouse with her husband Michael, an occasional Blue Jay and busy squirrel nicknamed Nutty. Before finishing the many stories hidden underneath her bed, Taylor experimented with various occupations: hand model, makeup artist, personal shopper and summer camp counselor…But her favorite is the one she’s now blessed to do full-time—writing for children.
“This is an amazing book that I really enjoyed reading. I feel this book can help many children, because God created us all in a very special way… Children need to know bullies can make you feel so sad that you think something is wrong with you. What they say and what they do to people is very mean… I was bullied in the third grade more than once… The most important thing I learned in A Girl Called ROUND is, it’s ok to be different. Only you can be you… The last page was my favorite part! Olivia remembers the words of her grandmother, telling her she is beautiful no matter what size she is, or what people think. Like what you see and have joy believing in yourself. Olivia finally got it! Now she can be free!! Thank you for sharing this awesome book! I am a Butterfly Girl!"- Gabriella - 4th Grader
"A Girl Called ROUND is an Illustrative Children’s Book addressing the issues of bullying in a creative and compassionate manner stressing the importance of believing in yourself, no matter what others say about you. This book might also yield important conversations with children about loving themselves from within. Taylor’s message of finding confidence from within is truly life-giving!" - Dr. Sandra Quoines, Professor of Literacy Education, Duquesne University
“A Girl Called ROUND shows children how love and acceptance of oneself can prevail over bullying. The beautiful and whimsical illustrations complement the message, showing how magical life can be when one believes. This book is a perfect addition to any children's collection." - Crystal Jolly, Children’s Librarian, Detroit Public Library, Parkman Branch
“I was extremely excited to read the book, A Girl Called ROUND… I let Joshua read the book to me, since I wanted to get his reaction as a boy and on bullying. Joshua expresses to me he felt bad for Olivia and how she was treated. He acknowledged, 'Olivia’s Grandmother helped her to believe in herself'. When I posed the question, 'Do you think this book is only for girls? He answered, 'no. everyone needs to know about bullying''. [A Girl Called ROUND] is a wonderful book with a great message”!! - Madelyn E. Toliver, Pittsburgh, PA
“Our Phenomenal Women at Charles R. Drew Transition Center enjoyed and loved A Girl Called ROUND. The message in A Girl Called ROUND about believing in you, perseverance, and self-love resonated with our young ladies. Our young ladies deal with many difficulties of everyday life along with having … different disabilities such as Moderate and Severely Cognitively Impaired, Visually Impaired, Hearing Impaired, Physically Impaired, Otherwise Health Impaired, and students with Autism.
A Girl Called ROUND made a difference in these students’ behavior at school. The young ladies felt so good about themselves after reading this book. These young ladies applied this book to their home and school life. These young ladies enjoyed reading about Olivia and could relate to Olivia’s sadness of being talked about… A Girl Called ROUND will be a part of our female mentoring program every year." - Consuelo Brewer, ASD Teacher and Phenomenal Women Staff
