Moonlight Memoirs

Children's Books

By Maggie Lewis

Publisher : Good Times Press

ABOUT Maggie Lewis

Maggie Lewis
I am Maggie Mei Lewis, the author of the new children's book "Moonlight Memoirs-Remembering that Family and Friends are Forever" illustrated by Melody Lea Lamb. I wrote the book when I was 13, and it was just recently published in August 2009 by Good Times Press. This is my fi More...

Description

Moonlight Memoirs – Remembering That Family and Friends Are Forever is an exquisitely illustrated story about two curious mice who venture into a moonlit winter's night. Their outing becomes a life-changing event when they meet an old mouse who beckons them to follow. This mouse – along with several other animal friends - teaches the two mice a comforting lesson about love's eternal nature.

Early in 2007, thirteen year old Maggie Mei Lewis told her mother that she was going to write a book. By April of that same year, Maggie completed most of the story and was looking for an artist to illustrate it. She found an artist on eBay, Melody Lea Lamb, who was willing to illustrate the book. By the spring of 2008, illustrations for Moonlight Memoirs were well underway and Melody auctioned off each original painting on eBay. During the fall of 2008, with the illustrations completed, editing began. At this point, a publishing company, Good Times Press, LLC, was started. After numerous rounds of editing, the printing process began in the early spring of 2009 with Good Times Press contracting with Self-Publishing, Inc. for even more editing, then layout, design and finally, printing the book both digitally and by off-set printing. Maggie is very happy to present Moonlight Memoirs – Remembering That Family and Friends Are Forever, a culmination of over two years of inspired work. She thanks everyone who helped her with her book.

A child's growing awareness of the mortality of people and pets prompts a natural curiosity about what happens after death. In this picture book, young author Maggie Mei Lewis shares a comforting view of an afterlife where the living are loved and watched over by the people and animals who have left life before them.

When two mice take a walk on a snowy winter night, they are surprised by an old silver mouse who takes them on a journey "to learn a great lesson." They follow the silver mouse to a mysterious clearing filled with a variety of woodland creatures who "emerge out of nowhere" and "glow with a soft, gentle light." These forest creatures share a vision of life where the dead are ever-present, acting as guardian angels for their loved ones.

The message is a soothing one that will bring comfort to children who are struggling with a loss and will satisfy the imaginations of those who are simply wondering what's next...

Melody Lea Lamb's lifelike...paintings of mice, rabbits, cats and other natural creatures are centered on each page, surrounded by short bursts of text and faint images of animal tracks. This creative layout gives the book a cozy feel, and invites the reader to keep turning pages.

This is the author's first book, and for a person just barely out of childhood herself, she does an admirable job of presenting the difficult concept of mortality in words and images that are understandable and even soothing to children...many families and children can take comfort in the thought that "your loved ones are always ever near." --Foreword CLARION Reviews