A more complete version of my Review first appeared HERE on Special Needs Book Review, along with a lovely intro by Lorna d'Entremont. I suggest heading over to her site if you have a moment. There are many other books reviewed and authors interviewed there as well!!
Disclaimer: Lynette
Louise is not only one of my favorite authors, she is also my mother. I suppose
that makes me a little bit biased, but it also makes me a little bit of a
harsher critic as well. After all, she’s my mom!!
The moment I first looked at this book, I felt joy. The
pictures are a collage of playful moments, spiritual images, and skies filled
with possibilities.
The pictures prepare you for the emotional and delightful
story the reader is about to experience in The WingMaker.
Told in rhyme, the tale is of a young girl, Reazon, who is
very disabled and finds herself almost drowning in desires and wishes. Watching
her siblings play she years to join them and be a different kind of part of the
family.
Her mom shows love by working tirelessly and without
complaint. But alas, also without fun.
Enter the delightfully playful therapist, Happy-Ness, whose
belief in miracles is strong enough to reveal them! Through pretend play, and a
willingness to let go of fear and hold onto hope, skills are gained and life
becomes fun!
Just as everyone has begun to live and see the power of
play, and Happy-Ness pats herself on the back for another job well done, Reazon
becomes deathly ill. Now it is Happy-Ness who finds herself drowning in wishes
and doubt. As she questions and bemoans the point of it all, truths are
revealed through the revisiting essence of Reazon. She offers both Happy-Ness—and
this reader!—an ultimate answer and true reason for play, kindness, and the
belief in possibilities above fear of failure.
An excerpt from The WingMaker:
“It occurred to
Reazon that this was Happy-Ness’ way:
over-doing it to
keep going and creating through play.
Most of the lockers
had just one set of feathers.
Like Mom’s and her
sisters, a nurse, and two others.
Some just sat empty
for adornment to wait,
waiting and waiting
for wings from THE GATE.
That came when an
action of kindness helped all:
The receiver, the
giver, the audience involved."
When we meet the true WingMaker, we feel our own shoulders
tingle with the knowledge that they can easily wear wings, if we are willing to
do the work and believe.
The WingMaker is a book that I would recommend to any family
with a loved one, neighbor, or friend who is disabled or challenged in some
way. It is also an excellent and hopeful book for people dealing with grief or
loss. When I asked my mom, Lynette Louise, why she wrote the story she
explained, “This is based on the true story of a lovely girl and her family
that I worked with years ago. After her death I needed to tell the story in
order to let go. I needed to share what she’d taught me with others.”
This is a family book, perfect for adults and older children
alike. It is especially lovely for
parents to read with their
children. My own teen sons (I have four)
have all enjoyed it, and all for their own reasons. This book would also be an
actively wonderful addition to any library, especially at a clinic or therapy
center where people are dealing with extreme disabilities, mental health
issues, or loss.
The WingMaker is the kind of book you want in your home. It’s
a book that offers hope while encouraging comfortable discussions about
acceptance and difference.
To get your own copy (and a few for your friends!) of The WingMaker by Lynette Louise, follow THIS link to Amazon.com, or THIS link on Lynette's website.
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| The WingMaker by Lynette Louise aka The Brain Broad |
