NEWS PROVIDED BY
I AM PR
June 29, 2022
 
BEDFORD, Ind., June 29, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ -- A New York Times best-selling writer has teamed up with an Emmy-Award-winning producer to pen an uplifting children's story at a time when many kids struggle with mental health issues and their emotional well-being is suffering because of the pandemic.

"I Love You to the Sun and Beyond" -- the latest children's book by Michelle Medlock Adams and co-writer Cecil Stokes (Sky Pony and Simon & Schuster Publishers, July 12, 2022) -- brings a new and creative twist to the fun-loving game of one-upmanship that parents, grandparents, and educators often play with children.

The book's common thread is four powerful words – "I Love You More" – to describe love that is "longer than the Amazon," "braver than Rosa Parks,'' "wealthier than King Solomon," and "smarter than Nikola Tesla."

At such a time as this, the book aims to inspire and reinforce love and affirmation as the greatest healers after more than 2 years of pandemic misery and uncertainty.

Research shows 1-in-5 children now has a mental health disorder such as anxiety or depression, but only a fraction of those children receive care and counseling from a mental health professional.

Reviewers say it's destined to become a bedtime classic.

"When my daughters were little, we would play a game just like this. I would say, 'I love you more than 100 pieces of the yummiest milk chocolate in all the world.' And then, they would try to outdo me with their over-the-top declarations of love. Today, I find myself playing this same game with my grandkids—it's still fun and meaningful," said New York Times best-selling writer Adams, who dedicated the book – that contains 29 wonderful and wacky facts about our world – to her grandchildren.

"It's my hope that this picture book will cause parents and children around the globe to make their own meaningful and unique declarations of love, all while learning wonderful facts about our amazing world," said Adams, who has written 120 books and earned 80 industry awards. Most recently, Adams was named winner of the 2021 Christian Market Children's Book of the Year for her book, "Cuddle-Up Prayers."

"I Love You to the Sun and Beyond" is Stokes' first collaboration on a children's book. The Emmy Award winner and co-creator of the feature film "October Baby," who has written more than 500 commercials, films and TV shows, recently became a dad after adopting his son, Boone, from foster care.

Stokes says becoming a single dad has transformed his life.

"My entire life changed when my son arrived," said Stokes, who works for the Global Orphan Project and leads their CarePortal ministry in Houston Texas. "There is nothing that compares to the love a parent has for a child."

"As Dad, I have learned weapons of spiritual warfare that I hand down to my son, and together we lock arms to claim Jesus' victory over our lives and the lives of vulnerable children everywhere," he said.

 The book -- illustrated by Jonathan Bouw -- has already won praise from leading children's authors Nancy I. Sanders and Jill Esbaum.

"I Love You to the Sun and Beyond is more than a picture book about the special love between a parent and child," said Sanders, author of Bedtime with Mommy. "It's a celebration of parents and children all around the world experiencing their special bond while exploring the amazing universe we live in. Destined to become a bedtime, morning time, naptime, reading time favorite!"

Esbaum, author of How to Grow a Dinosaur, said the book "ignites a child's curiosity about the wider world."

For more information and to purchase the book, visit https://www.amazon.com/I-Love-You-Sun-Beyond/dp/1510763708 and https://michellemedlockadams.com/books/to-the-sun-and-beyond/

You can follow Michelle Medlock Adams on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest.  You can follow Cecil Stokes on LinkedIn and visit his website, https://www.booneandme.org/

NOTE: Media interested in coordinating interviews with Michelle Medlock Adams and Cecil Stokes can contact Gregg Wooding at I AM PR, (972) 567-7660 or gregg@iampronline.com.

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SOURCE I AM PR

CONTACT: Gregg Wooding, 972-567-7660, gregg@iampronline.com