THE BENEVOLENT JOURNEY

Stories Of Kindness That Enrich The Soul

"A Great Day For Pond Play"

The characters in this children's book are real-life pond pals, photographed in various natural landscapes throughout the United States. What makes our books unique is not only the positive messaging, enriching self-esteem, kindness and family values, but also the fact that these are images we have taken ourselves!

MEMORIES OF BEDTIME RHYMES - Written by Kelly Wain

Published Date: January 2025

As an author, I’ve recently been asked to share my favorite book that I remember as a child. I have the most vivid memories of this beautiful story about “a lonely little mouse who has to be resourceful to bring his family back together, transforming himself into the beloved hero of his mother, father, sister, and brand-new baby brother.” Can you guess which book this is?

I remember my parents reading this book to me, published two years before I was born. I could recite every word and would dance around the house proudly doing so as a young child. Fast forward, almost 30 years later - my favorite moment at the baby shower my Mom hosted for me before I had my daughter, was when I opened up that one single box, tore away the tissue paper and immediately started crying as I held my favorite book in my hands. We read this book so often that the binding had started to come apart and the pages were falling out. Of all the gifts I received that day, this one was my favorite. It represented a part of my life that I still treasure to this day.

Thank you Robert Krause, for writing “Who’s Mouse Are You?” I still have my original copy, 54 years after the first edition was published.

My Mom and I when I was 5 years old. Taken in 1977.

I wonder how many other people can relate to the special impact a book can have on a child? Reading out loud, consistently to a child, impacts them in so many more ways than science will report. Yes, reading to a child helps them develop intellectually, but during that moment during my baby shower, that wasn’t what first came to my mind. Seeing the title and holding the book in my hands brought back beautiful memories of time spent with my parents and the moments when they encouraged me to learn words, followed by sentences, until I eventually could read the entire book (without looking at the pages)!

Reading was always encouraged in our home and television time was minimal. Times have changed but ultimately, routines are established by parents. We can choose to fill a room with books in lieu of a television or computer. Our children learn to ask for what is provided. Teaching a child to love books requires oversight, more time and definitely supervision, but the benefits are significant.

Although I remember this title fondly, it is the time spent with my parents that I believe influenced me most. Reading time quickly was recognized as a one-on-one opportunity to cuddle up close and receive my parents undivided attention. As I patiently listened to the stories unfold, I was held in the arms of the two people who loved me first and the most. Making this time a priority, is the blessing I received and the tradition I continued when I became a parent myself.

When my daughter was born, I couldn’t wait to start reading to her. We established a routine every night. I chose three books for her at reading time, until she was able to pick the favorite titles herself. In the beginning, I read “Who’s Mouse Are You?” to her too. To this day, I can recite the pages of this entire book from cover to cover. I expect she might have one that she remembers most as well. We had hundreds of beautiful books in our home.

When I said, “It’s time to read,” she opened her closet and peered into shelves of endless books to choose her three titles. Often, it was the same books we read, over and over. She had her favorites of course. We cuddled in the rocking chair that was positioned in the warm sunlight of her bedroom and the tradition was born. This continued with the birth of my son and at that time, my daughter was starting to learn words herself so I often encouraged her to read to both of us. Priceless moments like this would never have been experienced from time spent watching television or playing video games. The significance of reading to them was the mastery of my voice, the comfort of my touch, the warmth of my lap and the way the books helped us escape to imaginary places.

My son reading in the rocking chair. Taken in 2001.

My daughter reading to both of her great-grandmothers. Taken in 2000.

Fast forward to this current time and I find myself writing children’s books with these experiences in mind. I want our books to have messages that resonate, characters that inspire, images that children adore and of course, I want our titles to be some child’s “favorite”. Perhaps someday, a child will recite the pages of a book we’ve published and maybe even memorize it from cover to cover the way I did with the popular Robert Krause favorite.

Kelly Wain and John Wilson are the authors of “A Great Day For Pond Play.” This heartwarming adventure takes young readers on a journey with pond pals who win the day with acts of kindness that spark joy and meaningful connection with each other. The book includes enchanting illustrations of actual wildlife photographs taken by Kelly and John, also included in the book.