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We All Have Belly Buttons by Patrick Ballantine-01.png

by Patrick Ballantine

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God made us all special and unique. We all come from different cultures and backgrounds. Look around you, and you'll see friends with different eyes, hair and skin, but there is one thing we all have in common WE ALL HAVE BELLY BUTTONS!

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Patrick Ballantine often heard how different people can be. The world seemed divided, as grownups focused on people's differences. Ballantine has learned that it is the little things in life that truly matter most. Reading this book with a child is a simple pleasure, but it could help shape their life, and yours. Enjoy each page together, laugh together, open your minds and hearts, and see how we really are all the same. 

Customer Reviews
We have 5 grandchildren now and they love to talk about their belly buttons!
5 out of 5
Grace Cary loves her new book!
Fun book for small children

"We All Have Belly Buttons" is a fun, read aloud book to small children. The author has done a brilliant job showing how we may look different but yet, in a simple way, that we are all the same. My three-year-old daughter loves it!

Latest News

Dec, 9th 2022
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The elections are over. The mudslinging has stopped. The commercials on the airways are back to unbreakable cookware and glue that can bind two boulders together for life.  

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Amongst the vitriol and polarization, I have written a little children’s book called “We All Have Belly Buttons.” Maybe this can help bring us all together.  

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I don’t pretend to think of this project as some great Augustinian philosophical piece, or even real literature. It is not Homer’s Iliad, though it has been a bit of an “odyssey” for me.  Truly, this is merely an attempt to help children laugh, for I believe that a child’s giggle is a manifestation of pure joy... 

Meet PATRICK BALLANTINE

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Patrick Ballantine was raised in the welcoming city of Wilmington, North Carolina. He went to church every Sunday, attended local schools, and played multiple sports, where he made friends with kids from many backgrounds. After graduating from Cape Fear Academy, Ballantine went on to earn degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Dayton School of Law.

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Ballantine served as a North Carolina State Senator for over 10 years, and practiced law with his wife Lisa. In addition to his political and legal career, he owned several small businesses in the area. He and Lisa live with their son Augie and a Westie dog named Coconut. Their daughter Wilker and her husband Fisher live far away in Texas, so they are grateful for the direct airline flight from Wilmington.

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Ballantine has been involved in civic life for as long as he can remember. Known by friends and foes alike as an honest leader with humility and integrity, Ballantine has inspired many to do good and make a positive impact on others. He tries to set an example of how we all can use our experiences, education, and empathy to bring people together.

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Patrick Ballantine recently released his first book, a children’s book, called "We All Have Belly Buttons". Ballantine hopes that by reading his book, children will understand that no matter how different we may look on the outside, we all have belly buttons and share a common human experience. He wants children, and adults, to learn to embrace and appreciate each other’s differences, and to use their unique perspectives to behold the joy and wonder that comes with diversity and acceptance.

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Through his simple book, Ballantine is continuing his mission to spread joy, compassion, respect, understanding, and unity in the world. A message from "We All Have Belly Buttons” is to remind us that everyone has something special to offer—and that we can all make the world a better place, one smile at a time.

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