Author Pauline Hawkins and illustrator Lorraine Watry are celebrating the unveiling of their charming new children’s picture book, For I Am Yours, which recently released to retail from WordCrafts Press. The beautifully illustrated project immediately resonated with readers who have compared it to the beloved, Love You Forever. For I Am Yours debuted at Number 7 on Amazon.com’s Hot New Releases chart in the Children’s New Baby Books category, and at Number 42 on the online retailer’s Hot New Releases in Children’s Sleep Issues chart.
“I wrote this story for my daughter over 20 years ago,” author Pauline Hawkins recalled. “At the time I thought it was just a simple story about how much her “blankie” loved her. But over the years I’ve come to realize I was really telling a story about a mother’s love for her daughter. That is a timeless message I knew needed to be put out into the world.
“I hope children will feel that unconditional love as they hear the words and explore the images Lorraine created while nestled in their loved ones’ arms,” Hawkins continued. “And I hope the book helps parents and other caregivers develop a deeper connection with their children through the unconditional love displayed by the blankie.”
Award-winning watercolor artist Lorraine Watry believes mothers from around the world will relate to the blanket’s sentiment of always being there for their babies. “I decided to do this project because I felt the story was a poignant tale of love—the blanket for the baby and the mother for her child,” she said. “The illustrations proved to be a fun challenge to create the world around the blanket and baby. Pauline and I discussed the general layout and included some of the toys our kids loved as characters in the story. Then I was given the freedom to come up with the scenes that help express Pauline’s wonderful story.”
For I Am Yours is a winsome and wistful love story of sorts, told from the unlikely perspective of a baby blanket who is always there for her ‘baby,’ from the moment she arrives in the nursery, through her growing up years, providing unconditional love, support, and security. The story serves as a beautiful metaphor for the strong bond between parent and child and is meant to be shared together.
“I cannot wait for people to see the beautiful illustrations Lorraine created,” Hawkins declared. “The images themselves fill me with joy. But I’m also excited by the knowledge that parents are going to hold their children in their arms and speak these loving words to them.”
Author Pauline Hawkins is a writer, teacher, and storyteller. Her first book Uncommon Core: 25 Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in a Cookie Cutter Educational System (2015) shares edifying lessons from her classroom for parents, teachers, and students. Pauline teaches writing at Great Bay Community College and is a copywriter for HotDiggity Creative. She also hosts the weekly podcast All In with Pauline Hawkins where she interviews people who are going “all in” to pursue their goals.
Visit her online at: paulinehawkins.com/
Lorraine Watry is an award-winning watercolor artist and Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society as well as others. Her paintings have juried into National and International exhibitions and she has paintings published in the “Best of Watercolor Series” – Splash 14 & 20.
Lorraine enjoys the challenge of painting realistic reflections in water, glass, and metal and passing on her love of watercolor to her students.
Visit her online at: lorrainewatrystudio.com