Once again, when a Lionel Ritchie song came on the radio this morning, I fell into listening to the tune's wonderful background vocals. Lionel's a talented songwriter and singer, but additionally, his arrangements including vocal back-ups have always been brilliant. You'll find some phrases repeating, some barely whispered in stretched vowels, and many in unexpected places as well.

...And isn't that so similar to a good book? It's the book that has the lovely, mostly subtle, and supporting backdrops that make it a great read. It will embellish, give you goosebumps or a frown, provoke a gasp or simply add color to help you dig into the storyline further.

In my experience as a children's author, sometimes it's the illustrations from the book's artist that can be easily overlooked. And often, that's the "background vocal" as well as the general 50% of the meat and potatoes. Children need a gentler plot or theme explaining, and to give a story depth, using illustrations can really be useful.

My new book, FINDING JOY, explores pet loss and help for children healing from grief. Paging through it, you'll see how illustrator Pam Rice created the discreet "background" for kids to explore their emotions and allow for juvenile clarity.

What's that "Lionel Ritchie" book for YOU?

Finding Joy