Award winning author Christina Pagès has announced the release of 'Lucy in Her Secret Wood' – Book 1 of the Lucy Series. The book addresses a number of issues faced by young people today, among them the loss of a connection with nature and bullying.
Social media and technology have impacted children in a number of ways, some of them unexpected. One important aspect of the trend toward technology is that many young people have lost touch with their natural environment. The connection with nature is a subject not generally found in children's literature. Pagès manages to weave a tale that seamlessly presents the beauty of the natural world and the connection with Mother Nature with another subject that negatively impacts youth - bullying.
In the storyline of the book, Lucy’s step-father takes her from the tiny room where he has locked her away for years, and drives her out to a remote wood where he leaves her with a bag of food, and her only life-long companion, a stuffed bunny. When Lucy’s fear of her stepfather dies away with his footsteps, and her tiny room world opens up to trees and bluebells, she is in awe of the shapes and colors around her. She recognizes her friends and family in the sentinels of trees, the woodland life and no longer feels lost and alone. She felt more lost inside walls, separated from outdoor life. Lucy needs only a few days in the woods to realize that this is her true home. Through 9-year old Will, who brings her food, two live chickens, and a recorder to copy woodland music, she experiences her first human friendship, and a way to make music that enchants all who hear it.
She is now part of the magical world of woodland animals, birds and butterflies, not locked away from it. Through Lucy, children recognize they are more “alive” when surrounded by the sounds, colors, and music of outdoors. The world of their computer and phone screens is always ‘on the other side,’ at a distance from them.
“Years ago, when I played in the woods and fields, I imagined I was part-child and part-flower, part-tree, or in a blade of grass. I was in everything, and everything was in me," Pagès stated. "Beautiful childhood memories like these add to our creativity and sense of self as we grow. Today, when we are filling up our planet with cities, cutting down trees, forcing animals out of their habitats, when many children are 'plugged away' from outdoor life, there is nothing more important than giving them a sense of belonging to nature. When Lucy walks through the woods, looks into the deer’s eyes, hears the birds singing, she knows that everything around her is family — a family to keep safe, and never leave. This is the ‘family’ we all must protect today.”
'Lucy in Her Secret Wood' has received high praise from readers and reviewers. The book received the Literary Classics Seal of Approval. It was awarded the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and took a Silver Medal in Readers' Favorite Awards. In their review, Children's Literary Classics stated, "You know the sort of book that is so absorbing, so entirely enchanting, you wish it would never end? -- The type of book that has you crying at the finish just because it's over? That's what we experienced as we read 'Lucy in Her Secret Wood''".
Christina Pagès is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at christinampages@gmail.com. 'Lucy in Her Secret Wood' is available at most book outlets. More information is available at her website at http://www.christinapages.com/lucy.
About Christina Pagès:
Christina M. Pagès, Ph.D., grew up in the fields of England, spending hours wandering the countryside. In America, she raised four children while studying for her Ph.D. She was the California State Poetry Society’s Winner in 2005, won a publication award for 'Shadow Words' (2006) published her poetry collection, 'Remember Not to Forget', in 2013, and her children’s novel, 'Lucy in Her Secret Wood' in 2016. Pagès has taught literature in Universities and colleges since 1987. Her writing, painting, piano playing, and gardening, all come from her love of nature as a child. “Nature is our best friend,” she says, “patiently waiting to feed our imagination and spirit.”
Book 2 of the Lucy Series – 'The Woodland Adventures of Lucy and Will' is complete, and will be published by Waldorf Publishing in 2018.
Contact:
Christina M. Pagès
christinampages@gmail.com
http://www.christinapages.com/lucy
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