After beginning her career in banking, Valerie Christianson decided to stay home with her kids while they were growing up. When it was time to return to work in 1983, she knew that banking was not for her. So she became a teacher’s aide and went back to night school to get her certification in early childhood development. It was at that point that Christianson was shocked to see an “I can’t do it” attitude with so many children. It became her goal to teach her students to try new things with a positive attitude.
The inspiration for her book, Little Breeze, began as a class assignment to develop a curriculum around a single word; Christianson chose the word “wind.” “They thought I was crazy,” she says with a laugh, “but there’s so much I could do with it!” What began as an outline 25 years ago grew into an inspiring children’s book. Little Breeze wants to become a Big Wind like his dad. In order to accomplish this goal, he has to study hard and keep trying. He also needs love and encouragement from his parents, who help him learn about trying hard and self-esteem. Christianson hopes that this message helps not just kids, but their parents as well. “It’s about what you can do with children to make them maybe the next president,” Christianson says, “to give them the tools to succeed.”
