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Overview
These four stories were written to help ease the traumatic experience of separation and loss caused by the absence or death of a parent, along with being the victim of bullying, or a sufferer of cerebral palsy or any other debilitating condition. They tell about the indomitable spirit that exists in all of us and which helps us get through life.The stories are suitable for the 7-11 year old.
Bereavement, loss and separation are three of the most unsettling of emotions that one will face in their lifetime; none more so than when it involves the absence or death of a family member and is experienced by a child. When a young child experiences such loss, it is not unusual for them to be left feeling emotionally confused and partly 'responsible'. ‘Nancy's Song’ was written in memory of the late Roy Castle and was first published in June 1995. It identifies through its story the death of a father, many of the emotions that the bereaved family members experience both prior to and after the death of a loved one.
‘Maw’ was written to identify the problems that ‘bullying’ brings. It is there to remind all that when good people fail to stand up for what they believe to be right, bad behaviour is provided with a golden opportunity to triumph! Into such environments, bullying is born and permitted to flourish. The silent observer who declines to challenge the bully's behaviour – the reluctant witness who refuses to testify – anyone who fails to stand alongside the victim, becomes the bully's accomplice! They never walk alone. Bullies feed upon the fear of their victims. Being prepared to stand up to a bully is often enough to prevent the bully putting you down! There are three types of people involved in the process of 'bullying'. There is the bully, the person being bullied and the people observing the bullying.
‘Midnight Fighter’ is based upon a true story and it tells the story of a young girl with an indomitable spirit and her love for a dying foal. Cassy has cerebral palsy and she needs all of her strength to help the horse live. It hopefully reminds the reader that the beauty of life lies not in the physical characteristics of the world's children, but in their indomitable spirit to survive as equals in the environment they inhabit. We are each but a mere part of a more perfect whole, endowed with differing abilities and handicaps. When we live our lives in love, we live it in constant hope. When we live side-by-side harmoniously, we co-exist in peace and understanding.
‘Robin and the Rubicelli Fusiliers’ was written to inform young children what it was like for a child in war-torn England to live through the Second World War years. It was also written to remind us all that when countries wage war upon each other, there are no winners. The price of war is paid for with the blood of innocent people, the loss of military and civilian lives, the deaths of men, women and children!
There is no greater tyranny than a powerful nation making a smaller nation bend and submit to its will, simply because it is more powerful and is able to do so. When words of worldly wisdom are wrapped within their national flags, all manner of human wrong is capable of being done and justified in the name of 'good cause'. Territorial theft enters the history books as colonial expansion, apartheid is dressed up in the clothes of natural segregation and genocide is given the sanitised label of ‘ethnic cleansing.’ The spread of war and its propaganda, allows the value of life in one part of the world to become more or less important than the lives of men, women and children elsewhere. The blood of innocent people should not be shed to buy the wealth of nations! People's lives should not be sacrificed to purchase the political or religious advancement of one race over that of another! War should not be waged to extend the geographical land-map of any country!
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940044793521 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | William Forde |
| Publication date: | 08/15/2012 |
| Sold by: | Smashwords |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 3 MB |
| Age Range: | 5 - 11 Years |
About the Author
William Forde was born in Ireland and currently lives in Haworth, West Yorkshire with his wife Sheila. He is the father of five children and the author of over 60 published books and two musical plays. Approximately 20 of his books are suitable for the 7-11 year old readers while the remainder are suitable for young persons and adults. Since 2010, all of his new stories have been written for adults under his 'Tales from Portlaw' series of short stories. His website is www.fordefables.co.uk on which all his miscellaneous writings may be freely read. There are also a number of children's audio stories which can be freely heard.
He is unique in the field of contemporary children's authors through the challenging emotional issues and story themes he addresses, preferring to focus upon those emotions that children and adults find most difficult to appropriately express.
One of West Yorkshire's most popular children's authors, Between 1990 and 2002 his books were publicly read in over 2,000 Yorkshire school assemblies by over 800 famous names and celebrities from the realms of Royalty, Film, Stage, Screen, Politics, Church, Sport, etc. The late Princess Diana used to read his earlier books to her then young children, William and Harry and Nelson Mandela once telephoned him to praise an African story book he had written. Others who have supported his works have included three Princesses, three Prime Ministers, two Presidents and numerous Bishops of the realm. A former Chief Inspector of Schools for OFSTED described his writing to the press as 'High quality literature.' He has also written books which are suitable for adults along with a number of crossover books that are suitable for teenagers and adults.
Forever at the forefront of change, at the age of 18 years, William became the youngest Youth Leader and Trade Union Shop Steward in Great Britain. In 1971, He founded Anger Management in Great Britain and freely gave his courses to the world. Within the next two years, Anger Management courses had mushroomed across the English-speaking world. During the mid-70's, he introduced Relaxation Training into H.M. Prisons and between 1970 and 1995, he worked in West Yorkshire as a Probation Officer specialising in Relaxation Training, Anger Management, Stress Management and Assertive Training Group Work.
He retired early on the grounds of ill health in 1995 to further his writing career, which witnessed him working with the Minister of Youth and Culture in Jamaica to establish a trans-Atlantic pen-pal project between 32 primary schools in Falmouth, Jamaica and 32 primary schools in Yorkshire.
William was awarded the MBE in the New Year's Honours List of 1995 for his services to West Yorkshire. He has never sought to materially profit from the publication of his books and writings and has allowed all profit from their sales (approx £200,000) to be given to charity. Since 2013, he was diagnosed with CLL; a terminal condition for which he is currently receiving treatment.
In 2014, William had his very first 'strictly for adult' reader's novel puiblished called‘Rebecca’s Revenge'. This book was first written over twenty years ago and spans the period between the 1950s and the New Millennium. He initially refrained from having it published because of his ‘children’s author credentials and charity work’. He felt that it would have conflicted too adversely with the image which had taken a decade or more to establish with his audience and young person readership. Now, however as he approaches the final years of his life and cares less about his public image, besides no longer writing for children (only short stories for adults since 2010), he feels the time to be appropriate to publish this ‘strictly for adults only’ novel alongside the remainder of his work.
In December 2016 he was diagnosed with skin cancer on his face and two weeks later he was diagnosed with High-grade Lymphoma (Richter’s Transformation from CLL). He was successfully treated during the first half of 2017 and is presently enjoying good health albeit with no effective immune system.