I'll Be the Water - a bookwrap

Unwrapping 

I'll Be the Water: A Story of a Grandparent's Love

Authored by Alec Aspinwall

* Nicole Wong

* Age Range:  6-8

* Grade Level:  2-5

* Hardcover:  36 pages

* Publisher:  Tilbury House Publishers; 1 edition

* Pub. Date:  September 15, 2020

* Language:  English

Editorial Review

“Aspinwall offers a series of beautiful similes, allowing even young readers to understand how love can continue even after a person has passed. While feelings of pain, betrayal, and anger are acknowledged, it is a warm, embracing, and unbroken love that remains. A comforting and meaningful addition to stories about loss and grieving. ”

- Kirkus Reviews

Unwrapping Some Beautiful Illustrations

The Book

A beautiful back cover dedication:  "For all who have been past mentors and remain our ever-present guide."  

"I Will Be the Water" is a heartbreaking/heartwarming book.  A  grandfather passes on the assurance to his beloved grandson Joshua that after he is gone he will still be with him.  

"Each memory is like a special gift I can unwrap again and again" said Grandpa.  " And that's a gift I want to give to you." 

The two are inseparable best friends.  They both love peanut butter and banana sandwiches, digging in the dirt, and fishing on lazy hot summer days.  It is during those quality times together that Joshua discovers that Grandpa is getting old.  A while later his Grandpa becomes ill, is hospitalized and finally passes away.  Joshua is devastated by the loss but his Grandpa's words that he has tucked deep in his heart strangely give him comfort and solace as he remembers them. 

"My love will be like the water in the lake.  You might think I'm not with you, but we'll be closer than ever because you'll be surrounded by my love."  

When the boy is a grown man he takes his own small daughter fishing on the lake of his childhood and passes on the advice and wisdom to her that his dear grandfather imparted to him.  

The book is one that will spark meaningful conversations about loss and grief.  It offers hope and understanding regarding the circle of life and the beauty of memories and wisdom that is transferred from one generation to the next.  

The illustrations are rich and expressive making the story come alive.  Grandpa sums the tale up this way:  

" Think of it this way. Today, you and I are like two fish swimming together in this lake.  When I die, things will be different.  I won't be a fish anymore, but I'l become something even better.  I'll be the water."  

Perfectly stated.  Love is eternal and resides always in your heart.  This tender message will resonate with young and old alike.   I highly recommend it. 

Storywraps Rating -  5 +++ HUGS!

Meet the Author 

Alec was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He grew up playing sports, asking questions and enjoying the faithful companionship of a mutt named Rose. He first pursued a business career after university, but disillusionment arrived 3 years later and he left his firm to volunteer full-time with homeless youth in New York City. 

After two years of volunteering, he obtained a graduate degree from Columbia University and, as an added bonus, found and fell in love with the beautiful woman who would become his wife . After a year of marriage they took a chance on an adventurous one-year assignment in Asia working with the Taipei American School as counselors. 

That one-year abroad somehow turned into 26 years overseas. During this time Alec and his wife welcomed a son, a daughter and visits to more than 40 countries. They now live in an idyllic German village in the center of Europe working among 60 nationalities at Frankfurt International School, while summers are spent at a lake house in Idaho. 

When his nest emptied, Alec rekindled a passion for writing children's stories. "I'll Be the Water" was published by Tilbury House in 2020.

There are still a number of other books among his litter that are awaiting adoption, so stay tuned…

About the Illustrator

Nicole Wong was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, with both parents in the arts — her dad was a designer and painter, and her mom was a fashion illustrator and art teacher.  So when she was a kid she never thought of becoming anything except an illustrator. As a girl she drew constantly — including on the walls behind furniture, where her mom would years later find drawings. She received her first freelance illustration job when she was twelve. As she grew up she wanted to learn more, and graduated from RISD with a BFA in illustration. She still takes art classes to explore different media and techniques, like collage, photography, egg tempera painting, and etc. Now, she’s happily a full-time illustrator of magazines, children’s educational, and trade books. She continues to live in Fall River with her husband, Dan Medeiros, our daughter, our sleepy kitty, and two big pups.

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