This circle is a path through special times…
Book birthdays are always special times, but this one feels like it has been a long while in the making. The idea for Around the Circle sprang from a wordless fabric book I made for my children when they were very young. Each page introduced the colours and symbols of a particular season of the liturgical year. We carried it back and forth to worship, using it as a storytelling prompt, and a way of connecting church and home.
When I found the book in the basement a few years ago, I was flooded with memories of travelling through the seasons with my children and began to wonder whether there might be a way to adapt my homemade book and make it available for other families.
Happily, Naomi Krueger, editorial director at Beaming Books, shared my enthusiasm. Naomi and I have worked together before, on The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t, and I was delighted to be able to collaborate again on this new book. We both felt that the very spare text needed to be complimented by illustrations that would add detail and depth and were overjoyed when Claire Westwood agreed to be part of the project, bringing her enchanting artistic style—a unique blend of earthy and aethereal—and gently broadening the scope of the book to include our animal kin.
My thanks also go out to the entire team at Beaming Books, especially the design team who made the book and its accompanying activity guide so beautiful, and the folks who do the challenging work of marketing and publicity to help Around the Circle find its readers. Thanks also to the members of my launch team who have shared my enthusiasm—and the book! The best present I could have received is this wonderful review from Elizabeth Christie at Practical Resources for Churches.
My hope is that many children (and grownups) will find Around the Circle a welcome companion as they make their way around this path through special times. And I hope that the book–like the liturgical year–deepens with each trip around the circle.
Laura Alary 