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NOTE: The target reading level of Mr. Harenten and the Serenity Ledge Picnic is grades 3-7, but I would liken the story to the original version of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne in that it could be read to younger children and certainly enjoyed by adults, as well. Published by Goose River Press, Waldoboro, Maine.
BRAND NEW! Published December 21st, 2024,
and Awaiting Stock from the Printer!
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Spread the word… Something MAGICAL has come to children's literature, and it involves a snowshoe hare named Mr. Harenten!
Serenity Ledge is a charmed woodland realm along the coast of Maine that is home to an assortment of animals sharing camaraderie and common adventures. After Mr. Harenten, a thoughtful and timid Snowshoe Hare, dreams up the idea of having a grand picnic with his friends, he realizes he’s created a predicament. His solution relies on devising a plan with his close friends to overcome his fear of gathering clover behind the dark and imposing Ledge House.
With the aid from Reny the curious Red Fox, Max, the worried porcupine, Winifred, a mischievous Blue Jay, Benjamin, the kind Barred Owl, and Scamper, a brave Red Squirrel, Mr. Harenten finds the courage to confront his clover quest. In the process, all of the animals rediscover the values of friendship while realizing that working together and employing the virtues of patience and trust are paramount in achieving a common goal. Mr. Harenten also comes to understand that he has more courage and can do more than he thought.
From midnight meetings and early morning planning to celebratory picnic toasts and sprinkles of humor, Mr. Harenten and his friends are brought to life through proper, poetic prose and twenty playful, vibrant, watercolor and pen and ink illustrations by Barbara Counsil. Young readers and adults alike will identify with the characters’ personalities while finding their own sense of enchantment rekindled in imagination and wrapped in wonder.
“Young readers will be intrigued by the array of woodland characters and the charming map of Serenity Ledge.”
~ Trinka Hakes Noble, Award-winning Author and Illustrator of Children’s Books
“As an educator, I really appreciated your story's positive take on how teamwork, planning, and collaboration among the characters made for a successful celebration. As it is in life, no one has to go it alone, and working together is all part of the fun! Thank you for creating such a positive story.”
~ Chris Toy, Author, Instructor, and Former Principal at Freeport Middle School, Freeport, Maine
“In this enchanting tale, a snowshoe hare named Mr. Harenten calls upon his woodland friends to help him face his fears and, in the process, explores the values of friendship, compassion, cooperation, and good fun.”
~ Liz Mathewson, Writer and Editor
“Mr. Harenten and the Serenity Ledge Picnic delights with vivid sensory detail, a charming narrative, detailed illustrations, and lyrical writing. Its attention to addressing fears with courage and emerging confidence provides a wonderful experience for young readers to explore and understand their own emotions in a non-threatening manner while inspiring creativity and cognitive development. This book is valuable for enjoyment as well as intellectual, emotional, and social development.”
~ Dr. Peggy DeLong, Psychologist, Author, Gratitude and Happiness Expert
Ghosts of Central Jersey
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You don't have to have a connection to New Jersey in order to enjoy this book. All you need is an interest in ghosts.
What ghosts roam within the historic sites and buildings of Central New Jersey? How accurate are the traditional stories? From the shadowed woods of the Somerset Hills to the dappled banks of the Delaware River, Ghosts of Central Jersey: Historic Haunts of the Somerset Hills delivers a rich mix of factual history and the sound investigation of ghostly phenomena. The combination of an open-minded enthusiasm and a level-headed approach underscores this collection of reports that will inform, entertain, and lead the reader to places where the past is considered to be very much alive and entwined with the present.
Foreword by noted parapsychologist Loyd Auerbach. Now in it's fifth printing, Ghosts of Central Jersey is a perennial favorite and always in high demand as one of the best sellers for the History Press.
Tracing Infinity
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Tracing Infinity will take you on a journey, one that will show you how close our lives are to heaven and the source of our existence. Meadows, mountains, gardens, coastlines, and open rangeland are all God’s classrooms, whatever you conceive God to be, and if you look close enough and learn how to “see,” you can find similar inspiration wherever you happen to be, even in your own backyards. Even when we feel we are in the wild-lands and winters of our lives, we are always in the presence of the eternal. We exist in the present and follow our futures in the same breath, literally tracing infinity. Discover how the Divine touches us all.
"The kinds of stories that Gordon shares, and the spiritual sensibility they evoke, help bridge this 21st century divide – the gap between ourselves and the earth and God. A sense of connection to that which is greater than us, and to the earth, are our birthrights. Today, we need support to recognize these gifts on a regular basis and to integrate the benefits and challenges of that awareness into our deepest sense of ourselves. Gordon’s writing helps with that cultivation. For that, we owe him a debt of gratitude."
~ The Rev. Fletcher Harper, Executive Director, GreenFaith ~
"Nature writers often hint at grand design. Gordon Thomas Ward does not hint! His insightful essays point the way toward understanding that our environment presents opportunities to learn how close we really are to the source of life with every breath we take, and that we can change with the next breath."
~ Mike Anderson, Sanctuary Director, N J Audubon Society ~
"Gordon Ward has been paying attention and watching the world with spiritual eyes. This book is crammed with heaven in the form of stories that stem from Gordon’s extensive knowledge of botany and history and poetry. Here, God is seen in the first blush of puppy love, the branches of a dead tree, the adventures of Lewis and Clark, and the experiences of fatherhood. Gordon Ward is indeed a spiritual being having a physical experience. Join him on this pilgrimage of life and learn to trace the Infinite around you."
~ Reverend Dr. Richard D. Sweeney ~