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An author brought her latest book to share with students at Chisago Lakes Primary School and also enjoyed revisiting the area where she spent her childhood. Candy Pettiford (Blakey was her maiden name) graduated from Chisago Lakes Area High School. She now travels promoting a lifetsyle of activity and exercise for youngsters through readings at schools of her book-- "Oh the things you can do when you don't watch t.v." Pettiford's book is about a young boy who learns to replace his television habit with fun activities, when the family's T.V. breaks. She said she wrote the book after seeing information about childhood obesity and watching her own grandkids spending too much time in front of T.V., computers and playing video games. When she reads to school students she asks youngsters how many have a T.V. in their bedrooms and almost everybody's hand is raised, she says.

Pettiford wants adults to be role models and not sit in front of computers and television screens for hours at a time themselves, parents and grandparents need to stress that the children in their lives be active. The book is illustrated by Andres Guzman. It is available at Common Good Books on Western Avenue in St. Paul or you can find details on the Internet.

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