Get Active for Kids with Mary Anne Cappellino's EEEK

Mary Anne Cappellino, local fitness expert, has written a series of children’s motivational picture books that are a delightful tool to help the entire family focus happy, healthy positive lifestyles. Each story reveals a practical strategy to promote health and fitness in a fun and entertaining way. The Most Clever Frog, the first book in the series, addresses the importance of balancing both inactive time with active time and calories consumed with calories spent, through exercise, to minimize obesity in our young people.

The main character in The Most Clever Frog, EEEK, is faced with a choice to be active or inactive. He believes that he would be most clever if he stays perched in a position to efficiently snack all day. After some time of inactivity he becomes lazy, slow and gains weight experiencing the consequences of his behavior.

Through the rhyming verses readers are taken on a journey to learn a valuable life lesson, one that we all need to hear to maintain a healthy weight through regular exercise. The book offers a parents’ section that serves as a motivational tool to remind parents about the importance of their healthy lifestyle and their responsibility to discuss healthy living with their children so that healthy, active lifestyles become a daily family event. Each book in the series provides supportive advice for parents to be offered in pediatric offices and community settings.

According to the Center for Disease Control, obesity levels, among our youth have tripled over the past thirty years. Children are impressionable and what they learn before the age of six is the foundation for the remainder of their lives. This book series focuses on the age group- 3 to 7 years old.

Parents that believe in the benefits of physical activity are key to preventing childhood obesity. Because a healthy successful lifestyle is multi-pronged, other books in this series address nutrition, self-esteem and positive thinking.

As a nationally recognized motivational speaker, fitness trainer and wellness consultant, Mary Anne was inspired to write these books to provide a fun, interactive tool to teach both children and their parents the keys to powerful positive living. As a wellness director for the Buffalo Athletic Club and national speaker, Mary Anne conducts workshops and keynotes that focus on the topics of exercise, self-confidence, stress management, positive thinking, and life balance.

The real fun in this project Mary Anne shares “was to deliver health promotion information in “fun- to- read stories” that delight children and to create a kid friendly character to effectively teach.”