CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Local author Virginia (Ginny) McGowan will host a live virtual book launch event today at 10 a.m. (AST) for A Girl, Her Mother, and The Forest – the story of a girl and her mother, who live in harmony with the forest and its creatures and what happens when villagers from a nearby valley destroy their environment and come to the forest for its resources.
The launch will be held on the book’s Facebook page: A Girl, Her Mother, and The Forest - Virtual Book Launch LIVE!, featuring an interview with the book’s illustrator and a brief reading.
The eco-fable came to the Charlottetown author in a dream and explores the true relationship that is possible with the natural world.
“I’d been fretting about the impending climate crisis and nodded off in front of the television,” says McGowan. “I woke with a start, ran to my desk and started scribbling it down. It was as though the story was being dictated to me. Little in it has changed since I first wrote it down.”
The 26-page book is deliberately sized for small hands in an 18 X 18 cm format. It is filled with original illustrations by Newfoundland artist Bev Middleton
McGowan is a researcher, writer and editor specializing in nonfiction through her business McGowan & Co.: The Write Edit Group (www.writeeditgroup.com). Although she’s published numerous works — including a multi-award-winning book on mentoring for solopreneurs — this is her first book for children. It’s not her first time for storytelling, however. She delights in making up stories for and with her grandchildren.
The book is intended for ages five to ten.
“I’m hoping it will awaken in children a sense of peace and alleviate the growing dread about what is happening to the planet, while being realistic about what’s actually going on,” says McGowan.
The book is available in print, pdf and e-book formats directly from https://www.blurb.ca/b/10377591-a-girl-her-mother-and-the-forest-a-love-story, where it can also be previewed.
