FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

‘The Dragonfly Door’ wins Benjamin Franklin Award
Book Tackles Difficult Topic of Loss and Change

“Beautiful illustrations … The reader feels the
loss and despair with the main character.”
-- Judge from the Benjamin Franklin Awards

MAPLE PLAIN, MINNESOTA, June 17, 2008 - Feather Rock Books, Inc. is proud to announce that “The Dragonfly Door,” written by John Adams and illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson, has won the 2008 Benjamin Franklin Award for Cover Design – Children’s/Young Adult. The book was also one of three finalists for the Parenting/Family Issues category. The Benjamin Franklin Awards are sponsored by PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, and celebrate excellence in editorial and design for titles published in 2007. Judges for the Benjamin Franklin Awards come from all areas of the industry: major newspaper and trade media reviewers, bookstore and library buyers and reviewers, non-competing publishers, artists, and writers who serve the industry.

“The Dragonfly Door,” published by Feather Rock Books, helps children identify the beauty and hope in all cycles of life as they follow two insect friends and the struggles one of them endures when her friend disappears. A past reviewer wrote, “The warm, emotional colors … illustrate this highly recommended picturebook for sharing the bittersweet realities of life with young people.” --The Midwest Book Review.

The book’s focus is on loss and change. Parents find the story useful because it encourages some children to talk about their unique feelings following a loss. The book was also written to help adults express their views about life and death through the dragonfly’s lifecycle included in the book. 

“The Dragonfly Door” may serve many purposes, such as comforting a grieving child or providing facts about dragonflies. Earlier this year, the book was adapted into a mini-play by high school students in Crandon, Wisconsin as part of a “Day of Hope and Healing” following a shooting tragedy that took the lives of seven young people. In 2007, the book was made into a mini-play by students in Huntsville, Alabama following a tragic school bus accident.

The Benjamin Franklin Awards were presented on Thursday, May 29, 2008 on the eve of BookExpo America 2008, in Los Angeles, California.

“The Dragonfly Secret,” a companion book to “The Dragonfly Door” is scheduled for release later this year. 

The Dragonfly Door
Written by John Adams / Illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
40 pages – Hardcover – Juvenile Fiction
ISBN:  978-1-934066-12-6 / Price:  $17.95 / Pub. Date: 2007
See more information at http://www.featherrockbooks.com
Related websites include http://www.thedragonflydoor.com and http://www.dragonflystories.com

Feather Rock Books, Inc. was founded in 2005 with a mission to publish literature for all age groups, transforming life's bumps and bruises into uplifting stories. The company’s address is 4245 Chippewa Lane, Maple Plain, Minn. 55359. For more information about “The Dragonfly Door” or to schedule an interview with the author, contact Clea Adams, Executive Director, e-mail: cadams@featherrockbooks.com or telephone 952-473-9091 or 1-877-473-9091. 

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