Guest Post
by Robert Vescio
Connecting Friends Oceans Apart
It is with great pleasure to welcome children’s author Robert Vescio to share his inspiration for writing his latest, heartwarming book, Jack and Mia – a story on everlasting friendship and long-distance connections.
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I wrote Jack and Mia to show how friendships (rich in imagination) can survive distance by finding creative ways to stay connected.
Jack and Mia do everything together. They stick together like paper and glue. Then, one day, Mia’s family moves away – not to another suburb but to another country on the other side of the world.
This is a story that will resonate with children who are about to move or have moved and miss their friends. Unlike other picture books about this subject, Jack and Mia illustrates how today kids are finding it easier to keep in touch with friends and loved ones who live far away.
Growing up, I had friends that moved half the world away – common for working parents and military families – and the only way to connect with them was to write or call. Today, technology is changing the way we stay connected. Everything you need is in the palm of your hands.
Skype hangouts have become a common occurrence in today’s society. It’s as easy as grabbing a coffee with your computer screen. In fact, Skype has become so popular that people use ‘Skyping’ as a verb to connect with people.
Of course, social media has also revolutionised how people talk. Facebook connects over 1 billion worldwide every day.
But, of course, not everyone embraces high tech gadgets. Some people prefer the human touch – a hug, for instance. Jack and Mia is all about how kids can use their imaginations to play together, even when they’re an ocean apart.
Jack and Mia (illustrated by Claire Richards and published by Wombat Books) is a warm and entertaining tale about the power of a child’s imagination and to keep a friendship long and strong, regardless of distance.
Available to pre-order and purchase now through all good bookstores and Wombat Books.
Robert Vescio is a published children’s author. His picture books include, Barnaby and the Lost Treasure of Bunnyville (Big Sky Publishing), Marlo Can Fly (Wombat Books) listed on the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge for 2015, No Matter Who We’re With (IP Kidz). He has more picture books due out in 2016 and 2017.
Robert enjoys visiting schools. His aim is to enthuse and inspire children to read and write and leave them bursting with imaginative ideas.
For more information visit: www.robertvescio.com or www.facebook.com/RobertVescioAuthor.
