Books

Starabella is a courageous little girl with learning differences who composes beautiful music to express her thoughts and feelings. Her experiences and musical vision teach children the value of celebrating differences, listening to the good voice inside themselves rather than following the crowd, and of determination and imagination. The 3-book Starabella series begins Starabella's journey at home in Book 1, where her parents first welcome her into the world and watch her start to grow up. They discover their daughter's mysterious challenges and musical talent, along with her inspiring determination. Starabella then ventures out in the community as a small child in Book 2, where she struggles with conforming to societal expectations but learns to believe in herself. Finally, in Book 3 she enters a diverse kindergarten classroom, where she and other classmates experience bullying and social division. Through her magical music and lyrics, Starabella leads her kindergarten classmates and listeners to the Bright New World of her dreams where all children play, get along, and are accepted for exactly who they are. A question/answer segment in Book 3 allows children to make friendly social choices to create a classroom environment where all children feel safe and valued. Based on the childhood experiences and music of the author's daughter Tara, a composer who has autism, the Starabella series encourages all children to believe in themselves and have empathy for others. All three books are fully narrated by Tara's sister Dana, featuring 22 original songs, including 17 written by Tara.

"The first thing you need to know about this remarkable series of books is how fun it is for kids of all ages to listen and interact with. It is hard to describe the initial reaction my kids (six and three) had when they opened the colorful and brilliantly illustrated books. After placing the CD in our stereo…the kids sat down with the book in their laps patiently waiting for what was 30 minutes of radio theater quality production. They were riveted…and so will you and your children as well."

--Tim Villegas- Husband & Father-Educator-Believer-Advocate. For nearly a decade Tim Villegas has worked in the field of special education and with people with disabilities. He has turned his passion for blogging and promoting ideas about inclusive schools and communities into his own website. He believes that Thinkinclusive.us can create a bridge between educators, parents, and advocates (including self advocates) to promote ideas, innovation and inspiration to change our world to be more accepting and value each and every human being.