Go into any checkout line, look on the cover of the women's magazines, and you are guaranteed to find the subject of "beauty;" it's not so distant relative "weight loss;" or its kissing cousin "aging." In fact, you don't even have to leave home, but need only turn on the TV for a dose of "reality." We are raising a generation of desperate wives: desperate to be considered beautiful, desperate to look thin, desperate to stay young, desperate to be happy, desperate to be loved. Our greatest heartbreak quite often is not at the hands of men, but from stepping on the toes of other women, including ourselves. Enter Lovely Azur (pronounced "as-you-are"), who after a rough day, runs into the beauty salon and into the arms of her mother, True. She receives an afterschool lesson that goes beyond goals of glamour and delves deeper than dyed roots. Chop Shop cuts down fashion fallacies and urges girls to stand tall and firm like palm trees, prepared to weather life's storms.

Beware of Bacon Bits is similar to its literary sister, Pigs Don't Wear Pearls, in that the main character is, and the theme still revolves around, a pig. This time, however, the pig has grown up and is now imparting wisdom to his son. The story opens up with a glimpse into the home of the Azur's (pronounced "as you are"). Bo Azur Jr. (Boaz you are) has just turned ten and is wrestling with what can often be one's biggest foe, maturity. During a walk with his dad, he discovers that there is strength in weakness, that a life of significance is often one of sacrifice, and that we must eventually put away childish things. Beware of Bacon Bits seeks to debunk the myth about what it really means to be a man and instead encourages boys to no longer settle for being less than who they are meant to be.

"Pigs Don't Wear Pearls" reminds girls that they are God's priceless possessions. A catalyst for confidence, this book creates the opportunity for parents, guardians, and teachers to converse with children about how precious they are.