'Cooper and Me' Book Review + Giveaway

"Cooper and Me" by Monique and Alexa Peters

UPDATE: Congrats to It's Just Me, who won the book "Cooper and Me!" Please email me at losangelesstory@gmail.com with your address.

The first day of school -- heck, any day of school -- can be filled with anxiety and pressures for kiddos. Sure, it's exciting. Friends! New clothes! New trapper keepers! (Oh wait, that last one was me twentysomething years ago.) But sometimes, what makes that first day back easier is having a little something from home.

In "Cooper and Me," ($12.99) a book illustrated by 11-year-old Alexa Peters and written by Alexa and her mom, Monique, a little girl finds comfort in her friendly black Labrador Retriever, Cooper. While she can't take him to school, she does receive something from her mom that helps her face the day with confidence.

I've been reading this book to CC over the last few days, and she loves it. In fact, she asked me to read it to her last night while she was brushing her teeth and at bedtime. She even took it to preschool with her this morning for her teachers to read in class.

She really appreciates that it's from a little girl's point of view -- and that there's a cute dog to boot. (I agree. A cute dog never hurts.)

But what's particularly charming about this book is that it is interactive with its audience. There is a cute questionnaire at the end, written in a child's voice, asking the reader about her favorite activities at home and at school. There are also discussion questions for parents to ask kiddos. It was great. It helped me learn a little bit more about CC's day at preschool.

Who knew she played "sisters" with one of her classmates so often?

*** GIVEAWAY ***

I'm giving away 1 copy of "Cooper and Me" to a lucky reader.

To enter, please leave a comment telling me what your child loves to do at school or how you've helped him/her feel confident despite first-day jitters.

For more chances to win, follow me on Twitter and retweet this giveaway. I'm at @la_story. Or you can "Like" the L.A. Story Facebook page.

Just be sure to leave extra comments telling me you did so.

Good luck, and I will announce the winner on Wednesday, Nov. 16!