By Cynthia Whitty

Ashland resident Deborah Burke Henderson is fulfilling a lifelong dream. After a 33-year career in public relations, including creating the nationally-recognized “Wednesday’s Child” series featured on WBZ-TV 4 and writing for several local newspapers such as Local Town Pages, she is channeling her energy into writing haiku, free-verse poetry, and “sharing stories with an educational component rife for young minds.” This winter Henderson published her first book, Lelia’s Aventura, an early reader for children ages 4 through 9.

The book, about the preciousness of life, “is dedicated to the nature lover in all of us, uplifts mindful awareness, and embraces inclusivity,” Henderson said. “I wanted to help children understand the importance of respecting and caring for all things in our natural world and to understand that we are all part of this amazing web of life. My muses took it from there, and the first sentence of the story just came to me. ‘Ants. Spiders. Caterpillars. They all have so many legs!’”

A quote from the Dalai Lama precedes the story and a list of fun facts about ants, spiders, and caterpillars is included after the narrative.

Thirty-three pages in length, Lelia’s Aventura is beautifully illustrated by Omar, an artist based in Pakistan. “I found Omar’s Creation through the Fiverr website of artists, illustrators, and other talented professionals. His sample illustration spoke to me. It featured vibrant colors, simple lines, and offered an immediate ambiance that felt just right. Omar’s first take on my characters was spot on. That was remarkable.”

Henderson described how writing the book began. “I am an inspirational writer and a big nature lover. During the fall of 2020 I took an online class, ‘How to Write a Children’s Picture Book,’ by Holly Alder, sponsored by Writer’s Digest University. Ms. Alder’s challenge was to create, in one sentence, a character with a flaw and a series of interactions that would lead to some personal development or resolution. As the story took shape, it was clearly too long for a traditional picture book, but it’s perfect as an early reader.”

When she’s not writing, Henderson enjoys walking, painting, photography, quilting, practicing the piano, and cooking with her husband Bill. “Our long-haired rescue cat, Pai-Mei (aka The Git) completes our family at home these days.” 

Henderson is also a member of The Power of the Quilt Project, a service ministry of the Unitarian Universalist Area Church, First Parish in Sherborn, which distributes colorful handmade comfort quilts to individuals living with cancer.

The Ashland library has added Lelia’s Aventura to the children’s room. The book is also available on Amazon.com, Amazon.com: lelia’s Aventura, or through her website, www.DeborahBurkeHenderson.com.