Inspirational "picture books for adults" make great gifts

Two self-help books for adults who want to achieve their dreams.

(PRWEB) December 20, 2003 --Dan Bloom is a writer with an ear for language and an eye on the pulse of these strange but interesting times. He has produced two bilingual (Chinese/English) inspirational prose poem picture books entitled In the Eyes of a Child, Its Never Too Late to Begin Again" and My Guardian Angel Taught Me Where to Look for Love", respectively.

These two books are part of the Inner Child Series" published by Taipei-based Life Potential Publications, earlier this year.

These books feature childrens artwork, which people of all ages will enjoy, but the text is meant for a young adult audience with meditations on love, relationships and fulfilling personal dreams. Bloom says that the text of the first book, In the Eyes of a Child", just came to him one day when he was eating lunch in a park in Chiayi. In the quiet shade of that park, the words just started pouring into my head, and I wrote them down as fast as I could." He adds that, I felt the pure spirit of creativity."

Bloom notes that the second book, My Guardian Angel", came about in a more normal way. I thought of a title that included both angels and love, then started writing, but following the same kind of formula and cadence I had discovered for the first book. Its a completely different book, but it comes out of the same creative spirit as the first one."

As far as the picture part of these picture books, Bloom explains that since In the Eyes of a Child" was themed about kids, it seemed logical to match it with childrens drawings. From a search on the Internet, he came across a nonprofit online global gallery of kids art on www.naturalchild.org, run by mother and son team Jan and Jason Hunt. After making a donation to help with continued operation of the website, Bloom obtained the rights to use illustrations from Thailand, India, France, Italy, Israel, the US, Japan, South Korea, Holland, Lebanon, and of course, Taiwan.

The gallery currently has over 300 pictures by children aged one to 12 from many countries around the world, and has gained international attention including a CNN report. Jan Hunt says that she loves the prose poem that makes up In the Eyes of a Child", as it is full of hope that can cheer and inspire people of all ages.

For My Guardian Angel" the publisher wanted to focus on promoting local childrens art and worked with the Soho Childrens Art School and the Childrens Art Museum in Taipei to collect illustrations.

Stella Huang, chief editor of Life Potential Publications and the Chinese translator for these two books, says that their attraction is that they contain a universal message. Everyone in the world has an inner child within and can understand the love and the feelings that are expressed in these books." She adds that, Some people buy these books to help them find their lost innocence. Some people buy them because they are touched by the childrens drawings. Some people buy them for their children to encourage them to learn English or art. Some people buy these books to give as gifts to friends who are down. There are all kinds of reasons to pick up these books."

In addition to conventional channels, Bloom sells his books at night markets in Chiayi. He says that this is a fun hobby that helps him to connect on a personal level with potential readers.

For those who dont frequent Chiayi night markets, both books can be purchased at major bookstores throughout Taiwan or on the Internet from www.books.com.tw, www.tgblife.com.tw or www.naturalchild.org.

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