Customer Reviews

The Dragonfly Secret: A Story of Boundless Love

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I received The Dragonfly Secret on Friday and after their first book, The Dragonfly Door, I had to read it right away. As soon as I started reading it, I started to cry. As I read each line and looked at the beautiful illustrations, my heart became filled with so much emotion. I felt as though Clea and John had written our story.

Our son, Jamie, passed away on 9/3/02 at the age of 21, as the result of drowning in Ocean City, MD. Losing a child is always devasting, but since he was our only one and our best friend, we literally felt as though our lives would end. The week after he passed, my husband and I went to our beach house, where Jamie was living while attending Salisbury University. It was the first time we had been to the house since his passing and it was very traumatic walking in and seeing everything the way he left it, however, he was no longer there. As my husband and I both sobbed, we went outside and sat on our deck, silently looking at the water and wondering what was going to become of our life without him, and why such a terrible thing happened to us. Just then, a dragonfly flew up and hovered directly in front of us. At first, we didn't think anything, but he stayed there... at eye level, just looking at us. Then, all of a sudden, this little dragonfly started doing all kind of acrobatic tricks... things that we had never seen a dragonfly do before. He was doing loop-de-loops, figures 8's and anything else you could imagine. After about 15 minutes of watching him and actually thinking about something else beside our terrible loss, my husband and I looked at each other at the same time.... and laughed! We both said.... it's Jamie letting us know he's here!!! And while he can't skydive, he's letting us know he can now do anything he wants and he can fly! (We had given him a skydiving lesson as a 21st birthday gift, however, the company wouldn't let him do it because his right four fingers had been amputated in a car accident in 2000 and they were afraid he would not be able to pull the ripcord with his thumb and palm.)

As I read this book, I just could not believe how much it related to us, especially because Jamie used a dragonfly to help him let us know he was still there. We still receive many signs from Jamie and he uses many different objects, insects, etc., but the majority of the time, he uses a dragonfly. He was such a wonderful soul and had such tremendous love for the earth, the universe and every living thing... he literally would not hurt an ant! I thank Clea and John from the bottom of my heart for writing such a wonderful story and I plan on telling everyone I know about both books. In fact, I bought several copies of each and gave as gifts to other parents whose child had passed away. Both of their books are wonderful and I highly recommend them.

"The Dragonfly Secret" is a story about a young boy who has died. He meets a dragonfly named Lea in a beautiful garden. The boy plays with the dragonfly and tells her stories. The two become friends; so, when the boy gives the dragonfly a puzzle to solve so she can learn his "secret", she is eager to participate.

The boy first tells her,

"You have message to deliver,

a promise so true,

it can only be carried by a dragonfly like you.

Of course, the dragonfly is intrigued and wants to know what she should do. The boy says, "Tomorrow, I need you to come to the garden again and do three things. If you do, you will discover the secret."

The first task for the dragonfly is to find a baseball cap in the garden and land on it. While searching for the hat, Lea encounters an old couple who tell her what the second step is. In the process of following the instructions given to her by both the boy and the old couple, Lea is actually helping the boy deliver his message. When Lea discovers the secret, she is happy she has been able to help her new friend.

The beautiful watercolor paintings illustrate the storyline perfectly. The paintings are so realistic you feel as though you could almost step through the pages and into the lovely garden.

This is a story about love and about remembering those who have passed on. It provides a message to children that someone they once loved still exists in some form after they've died. I would also classify it as a fantasy tale because the dragonfly, Lea, communicates directly with humans. But, while doing so, Lea remains the characteristics of a real dragonfly, not just the cartoon version of one.

This book could be used by those counselors of young children who are dealing with the loss of someone they love. It could also provide comfort to parents who have lost a child.

"On a bright summer morning, Lea played hide-and-seek in the garden with Tess, her butterfly friend. She hid among the flowers and giggled to herself. Suddenly, a boy appeared. He sat on the ground next to some daisies and rested his chin in his hands. Lea moved closer to get a better look. He turned towards her and smiled." - From the book

Lavishly illustrated by Barbara Gibson and written by Clea and John Adams, The Dragonfly Secret tells the story of a curious dragonfly named Lea who helps a boy accomplish a special mission.

After playing with the boy for hours, it occurs to Lea that he hadn't given her his name or told her where he lived, yet he knows all the great hiding places in the area. The boy confides that he has a message to deliver, but only a dragonfly like Lea could carry it.

Intrigued, Lea moves closer, fluttering her wings as the boy gives her three mysterious assignments. As she attempts to fulfill her promise, a kind elderly couple gives her instructions--but no explanation as to the purpose.

Lea continues following instructions, never realizing the extraordinary gift she's about to bestow upon a sad young couple.

A gentle, moving story about the power of love to transcend death, The Dragonfly Secret is a beautiful book offering comfort to the grieving and solace to those who wonder what happens to their loved ones after they pass on.

I highly recommend The Dragonfly Secret to parents and caregivers. Because of its reassuring message, I feel that schools, funeral homes, hospitals, church libraries and therapist offices would benefit greatly by having this book on hand to share with those facing terminal illness or relatives of those who have lost a loved one.

-- Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book

The Dragonfly Secret is an excellent children's book that is intended to help family members when they are faced with the passing of a loved one. This book is intended for the nine to twelve year-old age group and it offers an important message that is finally revealed at the book's end. The element of suspense present in this book keeps you guessing and many readers will not even realize what is taking place until they reach the book's closing pages.

This book is far less predictable than most others of its genre and, unlike most children's books, The Dragonfly Secret could even be considered a tear- jerker by some, especially those who have experienced the loss of a child, sibling, grandparent, etc. I have experienced such a loss myself, and this book certainly succeeds at getting the reader to reflect on that loss and to look for signs/symbols that are messages or reminders of the lost friend or family member.

This book is very nicely illustrated. The illustrations of the people in the book take on an old- fashioned feel and the colors are very bright and vivid. All of the pages depict the people and other characters in a natural setting complete with trees, grass, flowers, and blue sky. The colors are rich and vibrant, and they add tremendously to the story.

One other thing worth noting about The Dragonfly Secret is the writing. I have read many children's books in the past three years and too often, they are littered with bad grammar, sentence fragments, and typos. But The Dragonfly Secret is soundly written and it is certainly a refreshing change to read a children's book that wouldn't make an English teacher cringe. Too many children's books are written in a somewhat sloppy manner, presumably because the intended audience isn't going to understand whether or not the words are written in proper English anyway. But the authors of The Dragonfly Secret took special care to edit the book and make sure that the words are spelled correctly, the sentences are complete, and the punctuation is in its proper place.

I read children's books constantly with my two girls and The Dragonfly Secret is one of the best children's books I have read in a long time. More than just an ordinary children's book, The Dragonfly Secret aims to comfort and reassure, with a message that is strong, clear, and timeless. It isn't every day that you read a children's book that is thoughtful, flawlessly written, inspirational, and suspenseful. The Dragonfly Secret is certainly one such book and it's a short story that every family should share.

As I read the continuation story of Lea, now a Dragonfly, in her new world I thought of the scripture in Psalm 104:24, "O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions "-- for indeed something greater than man has created the wonders of the transformational process of the Water Nymphs into a Dragonfly.

Clea and John Adams proficiently play with the literary device of anthropomorphism to engage the reader with Lea who is found playing hide-and-seek with her new friend Tess who is also different from Lea. Tess is a butterfly. Of course, most of us know insects can not think, talk or act like people, but not long into the story I eagerly suspended my disbelief to live in their beautiful fantasy world of nature. I find that Lea meets a boy who quickly wins her friendship, yet she wonders why the boy has not told her his name or where he lives. The boy offers to tell Lea a secret but first she must do three things for him. Lea yearns to discover the mystery behind his secret, so she agrees to fulfill the boys' requests. With each request Lea meets people who need her help and she discovers something about herself that changes her schemes about her own purpose.

The interchange of text and Barbara L. Gibson's illustrations seemed to encourage me to marvel about our natural world and to be open to nature's most unexplainable moments, as well as simplistically showed how to make new friends through game playing and the amazement of how love for a loved one endures forever and floats beyond typical boundaries.

My faith increased as I thought about the portrayed possibility that an insect like a dragonfly could land upon an object owned by a loved one resulting in bringing forth comfort and a smile to the bereaved. Indeed this is a jewel of a book worth reading to a child to help them find comfort from nature and feel loved during grief.

When I read the story to a group of elementary age children the boys stated, although they liked the story, they thought it was a little mushy. The girls disagreed and loved how the boy named David treated Lea and asked her for help. Some of the children's questions stimulated great discussion. For example, one child wanted to know what a dragonfly's house look like? In having memories of a loved one's life, another child questioned what life for them may be like now and the speculation of whether insects can really communicate with people. All the children loved the happy ending. The overall interaction reminded me that children are impressionable; therefore along with the author's statement in their book this reviewer suggests parents, teachers or other adults read this book first to determine appropriateness for their child.

Reviewer recommends The Dragonfly Secret: A Story of Boundless Love as a great educational tool for parents, grandparents or professionals to use to help explain grief transitions during loss and enduring love.

Story related crafts can sometimes bring comfort to a grieving child. To make Dragonfly rings visit Jewelofabook.com.

Reviewed by Jewel Sample, MS; Award-winning author of Flying Hugs and Kisses, also translated: Besos y Abrazos Al Aire(Spanish edition). To learn more about Jewel Sample visit her at jewelsamples.blogspot.com.

This is a beautifully illustrated book that tells a wonderful story of a boy and a dragonfly. They develop a friendship as they play together and explore nature. The boy gives the dragonfly instructions to follow and the dragonfly sets off on a journey of discovery that allows the reader to follow along. An unexpected secret is revealed to the dragonfly and the reader in the end about life and death.

I read this book along with my son when he was nine years old son. We both loved the illustrations as they are richly colored, warm and inviting. My son enjoyed reading the story together with me and liked the boy as a main character along with the dragonfly. He told me that his favorite parts were the illustrations. He shared with me that he feels he is a bit "old" for picture books as he was almost 10 at the time. He did say that he thinks that this book would be good for children in Kindergarten through 2nd grade. The book is classified as being geared towards ages 8 through Adult although that may be the reader level. My son didn't quite "get" the meaning of the story as I learned as we discussed it. I do feel that this is a book that could be very comforting to a child that is dealing with a life and death situation or loss of a family member. I would suggest that a parent or adult read along with a child 10 or under to help them process the meaning of the book.

In this delightful tale we meet a young boy named, David, a very special young boy who comes to a beautiful garden and makes friends with a Dragonfly named, Lea. David and Lea share many happy moments together playing and a bond is made between them However, something else very important is going to be asked of Lea. She will have a very special assignment to accomplish that David has given to her. As you read this book you keep wondering what it is that David wants Lea to do and why? But it is not unveiled early in the book.

We also meet a young couple who are very sad, and an older couple who also tell the little Dragonfly that she must complete the assignment she has been given. Still you wonder what it is and why it is so important. It isn't until you are almost at the end of the book that you realize that David has passed from this world and he is asking the little Dragonfly to bring a message to those he has left behind.

I found this book to be very touching, sensitive, and comforting at the same time.

The illustrations are crisp and let you see the details of the emotions being felt by all the players in the read. It is a story of loss, but also one of hope and love carried on the wings of a very special Dragonfly. To me, this is an outstanding read. Well done in every area, story, and illustrations. Well worth your time, and truly a precious gift to be given to any who are hurting from the loss of a loved one.

Lea, a little dragonfly, was playing in a garden with Tess, her butterfly friend. Her gossamer wings shown in the sunlight as she playfully hid from Tess. It was a day when everything seemed brighter and cheerier. The flowers seemed more colorful than usual. The sky was a light steel blue with not a cloud to be seen. A young boy appeared and began to delight Lea with his stories and company. Soon it would be time to part ways for the day, but Lea promised to meet him the next day.

The next day Lea's new friend, played eagerly by himself, then with Lea. He was a secretive boy and suddenly appeared to be more contemplative. He had a secret and wanted Lea to help him. He had a message of love and hope that only a little dragonfly with gossamer wings could deliver. The boy gave her some clues. An older man and woman suddenly appeared to give her another. Lea began to doubt if she could help and solve the mystery because she only had two of the three clues.

The garden suddenly appeared brighter than ever. The lupine, daisies, tiger lilies and the sky itself began to swirl with wonderful color. "You have a message to deliver, a promise so true, it can only be carried by a dragonfly like you." Lea would be there for David on the following day to keep her promise to him. Her wings began to flutter in anticipation. Just what was this mystery of love and hope all about? Soon Lea would find out.

Clea and John Adams penned the tale of The Dragonfly Secret: A Story of Boundless Love to offer a touch of hope, comfort and peace to those who have suffered a loss of any kind. The stunning illustrations by Barbara L. Gibson complement this message superbly. Although in picture book format, this book is not geared toward younger children, but rather is intended for people ages eight to adult. Personally, I was quite mesmerized by this book and its message. I feel the simple story and its complementary illustrations could undoubtedly comfort someone in their grieving process at any stage. As one who is in the state of bereavement, I felt true comfort with this book and cannot recommend it highly enough.

My gosh, once again you three have done it! I think it is so nice to be able to read a book to children on how you can still talk to the people they have lost and believe that they are listening. Sometimes they don't get to say the things they really feel. Also nice for them to see that it's not only older people that we lose. Beautiful!

CLea and John Adams came to my school and talked about their inspiration. A lot of sad things have happened in their lives and they use a great strategie to write. They were people that didn't write for the money. They wrote to help others and I want to help others just like they did with this inspirational story.