Will We Always Hold Hands

Picture book 

"'Bear,' said Rat.  'I've been wondering.

     Will we always hold hands like this,

          even when we are old and wrinkly..."

     Bear and Rat are the best of chums.  One day they embark on a walk and a discussion on friendship, ascertaining that they'll hold each other's hands in all circumstances: reading scary stories, being sleepy (even if one snores), and crossing a river.  Even if one of them does something really bad they'll hold hands moving on.  Whether they travel or stay they'll stay together.  Holding hands.  

"'Bear, said Rat.  'What if I have to leave and go somewhere you can't come?"

     Young children often worry about losing special best friends and family members.  Christopher Cheng and Stephen Michael King's Will We Always Hold Hands? is a special lyrical tribute to the ability of love to overlook tribulations small and large.  And it reassures youngsters that there are ways to hold loved ones close even when they go somewhere you can't.  It's a good gift for a child who is about to lose or has lost a friend or family member or animal companion, a counselor who works with grieving children, or a public or school library.

On a purrrsonal note, for sixteen years I was the human companion of a beautiful, loving, smart tuxedo cat named Joseph Jacob Hathaway, Joey for short.  When he was three and needed an operation to save his life, the first of several, we learned that he was medically fragile and needing special care.  It wasn't always easy for either of us.  But the larger picture was all the joy we shared playing on the floor, reuniting when I'd come back home, rocking and singing, snacking, and snuggling.  He was the greatest lap cat, jumping on me when I sat down with a book.  Even when he got cancer medicine gave us several good months.  But one day he had to go where I couldn't.  I cherish him and carry his precious memory in my heart.

A great big shout out goes to my precious Joey who brought joy and unconditional love and loyalty into my life for sixteen beautiful years.

Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone