Montville teacher’s book explains life and loss
Len Saunders strives to inspire children to be the best they can be.
At Valley View Elementary School in Montville, the physical education teacher has been a leader for children’s health and fitness for many years.
Recently, the award-winning, best-selling author released his latest book, “Buddy and Bea,” to address the meaning of life and loss on a child’s level.
“This book is more of my life story in picture book form. My father passed away eight months before I was born. Dealing with the topic of circle of life and all that was very confusing and hard on me and I didn’t know where to turn. I never talked about it for 45, 50 years. I said to myself, as an adult, it would be nice if I could try to convey the message that I learned through a book and this whole concept came to me.”
“Buddy and Bea” is a warm-hearted story of two friends who meet and form a close relationship before they’re separated from each other. Bea is a bird who meets Buddy, a leaf, after he buds from a tree branch during the spring. Bea watches as Buddy blossoms into a mature leaf, growing older as the summer turns into fall. When Buddy drops from the tree at the end of autumn, Bea deals with the loss of her friend and finds happiness in the spring when a new leaf buds from the tree.
“You don’t have to experience loss to appreciate the book. It’s a cute little story when you read it and you see it happening along with the beautiful images. It’s a moving story and it’s not going to scare kids in any way,” said Saunders, who has two grown children. “If I can help other people, that’s part of my job as a teacher, too.”
The main objective of “Buddy and Bea” is to help educate children on life and loss in a non-threatening manner. There is no mention of “death” in the book.
“It’s a journey of two friends. One is called Buddy and he’s a leaf that buds from the tree and that bud is symbolic. That’s my father in my real life. And Bea is the bird and the bird is my mother in real life. Once you read the story you’ll understand how it all comes together,” said Saunders of his fifth book.
Published by Snow Leopard Publishing on July 26, 2016, the 30-page book is available in softcover, hardcover or for Kindle. For more information about Len Saunders or to order the book, visit http://m.lensaunders.com/ or www.amazon.com.
“My mom never showed me pictures or anything of my father because she didn’t know how to explain it. She already had a young boy and then she was pregnant with me when her husband passed away. She didn’t even know she was pregnant with me. She was in denial for a long time.”
Saunders was devastated when he lost his mother 15 years ago, an experience that inspired him to write “Buddy and Bea.” Despite taking four years to complete, Saunders was unhappy with the finished product.
“I just felt like there was something missing so I rewrote the whole book and got a different illustrator and we did the book over again. This time I feel like the pieces are together. It’s not closure. It just helps a little bit with healing, I think. And I know that it’s going to help children.”
The book is illustrated by artist Alyssa Josue of the Philippines. A portion of the proceeds from each book sold will be donated to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northwest New Jersey.
Help the Homeless
Beautiful Abbie is a lovely, 2-year-old cattle dog mix. An absolute sweetheart, Abbie likes kids, cats, and dogs. She is calm and easy going and would love a family she can cuddle with.
Abbie is at Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter, 194 Route 10 W. in East Hanover. To meet her or see more pets, visit www.njshelter.org, email info@njshelter.org or call 973-386-0590.
Morris Township’s Gradzki’s earn top honors
Kayla Gradzki, a rising sophomore majoring in finance and accounting, was named to the President’s List for the 2016 spring semester at Elon University. Gradzki was selected for membership to Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society. She will be inducted on Monday, Oct. 3. A graduate of Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung, she is the daughter of Lawrence and Katherine Gradzki of Morris Twp.
Lauren T. Gradzki, a rising sophomore majoring in marketing, was named to the Dean’s List for the 2016 spring semester at Elon University. Gradzki, a graduate of Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung, is the daughter of Lawrence and Katherine Gradzki of Morris Twp.
Staff Writer Leslie Ruse: 973-428-6671; lruse@GannettNJ.com.