John Adams (8) (1960–)

A beautiful story of life and passing on to another place. Nym and Lea were very good friends. Two small nymphs played together and lived together. Nym was older, and eventually when playing amid the reeds, she had difficulty breathing. Nym was tired of Lea bossing her around, and one night left their home in anger.

Realizing Lea was right, she spent the night tossing and turning and looking for her friend. She was no where to be found. Frantically looking for her, she became more and more show more worried. After a few nights of being alone, Nym held fast to a reed, and while she slept, she thought she heard Lea's voice saying " Follow me, Nym. I'm going to show you where I am." As Nym climbed higher, she heard Lea assure her she was in a better place, a more beautiful place where they both would be together one day.

Lea was glowing and very beautiful. Nym was sad for a long time, but eventually realized there was another place where she would meet her friend when she too passed to this other side.

This book is also very special because it is used as a teaching tool regarding the lives of Nymphs and Dragonflies, how the dragonfly lays her eggs and the process by which they grow and shed their outer covering.

Beautifully told and lovingly illustrated this is a very special book. show less

When a playful dragonfly named Lea meets a friendly boy they form a fast friendship over the course of several days. When he gives her a secret assignment to complete for him, she gladly accepts. It is only after Lea completes her requested tasks that she discovers that she has been chosen as a messenger from deceased family members (the boy and his grandparents) to a grieving couple (the boys parents).

When The Dragonfly Secret was first released I noticed some favorable reviews of it on the show more blogs of Christian reviewers who I respect as people, and so it was with an intermingling of excitement over the illustrations hinted at by the cover design, and hesitancy due to the lack of detailed reviews concerning the spiritual aspects of the title that I could find on the internet. I knew that it was written to be a comforting and reassuring story for children about life beyond this short existence here on earth, and that it was written to be applicable to families with a variety of spiritual beliefs (and could possibly work for Christians), but beyond that I was lacking details.

The story is told in a gentle and reassuring manner, no frightening “I see dead people” aspects are found within the text by Clea and John Adams. This is meant to be a comforting story of joy and happiness beyond death, and that feeling is expressed through the bright, sunshiny illustrations of Barbara L. Gibson.

While generally I avoid spoilers in reviews, I feel that this title is an exception. Be forewarned. When parents are scanning children’s titles for the purposes of spiritual discernment, providing details is clearly in order. At the book’s end it is revealed that Lea has been contacted by dead people that she can see and converse with in order to communicate a reassuring message to the loved ones they’ve left behind. Some vague hints such as the spirits looking into the sky seem to hint at a heaven-like afterlife, but no specifics are provided either way.

The main determining factor with this title is whether or not your family believes that dead people can willingly communicate through mediators here on earth with those still living. For our family, I’m very uncomfortable promoting this belief. The only examples we see of this in scripture are Saul calling up Samuel’s spirit by a medium – an act which had serious repercussions for him and his family.

Though I can’t pretend to know everything about the eternal world beyond this one, I do know that the Bible cautions us against seeking out contact with spirits. While the living characters in The Dragonfly Secret don’t do this, I don’t want to develop an appetite for spiritism in my young children.

Reviewed at quiverfullfamily.com show less

The Dragonfly Secret by Clea and John Adams
illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
Hardcover, 32 pages, First Edition
Ages 8 to Adult

The Dragonfly Secret
A Story of Boundless Love
• A heartwarming story for family members who have lost a loved one
• A companion book to The Dragonfly Door

I received this book through Bostock Communications and the authors because I requested it. I have a particular reason for being interested in reading and reviewing this book…I was curious about it’s validity show more with a child’s grief as my daughter is experiencing her own grief about the death of her brother. The book may be too young for her-she is 14-but I knew that she could and would give me an unbiased opinion.
The book had gone astray through the champion efforts of our Canadian postal service and when I finally took possession of it…my daughter took the first look. All was quiet for about 15 minutes and then she looked up and told me how sweet the book was and she thought that it would really help some younger kids. I fully intend to donate this book to our local chapter of Bereaved Families of Ontario and I hope that it WILL indeed help another child going through a similar loss.
I looked through the book and enjoyed the beautiful story and illustrations myself. The story was particularly poignant and I even shed a few tears when I reached the end of the book. I found the image of the dragonfly to be very appropriate for a child’s grief but it also wasn’t too sweet. As a grieving mother who is always looking for answers to my own grief there is a distinct lack of books and resources to help us that aren’t too sickly sweet and cute. The last thing that I would want is to view my son’s death in a cutesy fashion.
5 out of 5 stars
Thank you… Clea and John Adams. show less

The Dragonfly Secret is a delightful and wonderful picture book, which holds a vitally important message within it's pages. Not only does the book have gorgeous and eye catching illustrations, but the story itself is one that is a treasure and left an impression upon me long after I turned the final page.

Whether dealing with a loss of a loved one, or just wanting a truly magical story, The Dragonfly Secret is perfect to add to any collection. Often it is difficult to understand and remember show more that deep love is truly boundless and never really goes away; rather it transcends all time and place.

For me, The Dragonfly Secret is on the same level as Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, in the respect of delivering the message of just how powerful unconditional love is, especially between a parent and child.

I highly recommend The Dragonfly Secret to everyone, whether adult or child. This is a true treasure of a book, in every sense, and deserves a honored place among all book collections.

*overall rating 5/5 show less