Book excerpt: Sully the Seahorse is a heart-warming, beautifully illustrated rhyming picture book which encourages children to believe in themselves and to be proud of who they are. It's the day of the Sea School Stars annual talent contest and little Sully really wants to win!! Oh, how he longs to be a super-fast fish or a gigantic, strong whale. Poor Sully never wins ANYTHING! This heart-warming story follows Sully on his race for victory - where he comes across a BIG challenge and discovers his own very special talents. ON YOUR MARKS, READY......GET SET GO!!! The ocean is buzzing with excitement practising their performances for the competition....all except for Sully who doesn't feel very good at anything at all. "The contest starts soon," reminded Miss Trout. Sully felt worried and started to shout: "Do I have to take part, Miss? Please say no." "Yes," she replied. "You should give it a go." Poor Sully becomes disheartened as he loses some of the races, but the contest comes to a halt when a dark shadow descends upon Sea School and threatens to change Sully's future forever! Will Sully find his sparkle before it's too late? The book explores the issue of self-esteem in a fun and heart-warming way and encourages children to celebrate differences and appreciate their own talents and qualities. It's sometimes hard for children to understand that they can't always be the best at everything. One of life's most important lessons is learning how to deal with making mistakes and being able to lose! Children sometimes find it difficult to understand why they came last in the race, or why they never win the writing contest. Sully discovers in the story that if you keep on trying then you'll find your own special talents - and that's the message for children too - just keep trying and be proud of who you are! It encourages children to become resilient so that they can bounce back from challenges and failure. This is the second book in my Sea School Stories series. The first book, Monty the Manatee, focuses on kindness and anti-bullying and has sold thousands of copies around the world.