Friends in the Meadow-Birds
Friends in the Meadow-Birds is a childrens book introducing the hobby ofbird watching. In addition to learning about the hobby, the purpose of the bookis to get children involved in nature, the great outdoors and learning aboutthe environment.
The leading “lady”in the book is Lovie Dove who introduces the reader to her many bird friendsand shares what life is like around the meadow near Mr. and Mrs. Wilson’s farm.Along with the story line is about sixty bird photos and factual informationabout the birds that help the child learn to identify the different species.The book has a glossary that helps the child and the non-birding parent learnbird-watching terms. The child is encouraged to begin their "Life List"of the first twenty birds they learn to identify. After completing the list,the parent, Scout-master, teacher or other adult confirms and presents thechild with a certificate that is located on the last page of the book. Thiscertificate helps to build the child's self-esteem. Parent participation isencouraged giving both parent and child quality time together, thus aiding inbuilding a deeper relationship.
The Story Behind This Book
My life's work has always centered on helping others. As a licensed therapist and the wife of a Methodist minister, I found myself every day around children either at work, home or church. Many children in today’s fast world are hurting for quality time and closer relationships with positive adults. The best way I’ve found that parents can provide this for their children is to plan and take the time to be with their children and enjoy activities together. This provides time not only for hobbies or whatever activity but also for the much needed conversations to take place between parent and child that helps to form closer, trusting relationships. This goes a long way in getting through the teen years for both of them. As we both are nearing retirement age, we hope to continue helping through writing in one form or another. I decided to use the children’s book genre to share with the children while encouraging parent participation as well.
