South Shore children's book author tackles tough topics with inspiring stories
MARSHFIELD − Hope in the face of loss.
Triumph despite adversity.
Healing as a community, and alone.
They're weighty concepts for any author, but Marshfield's Amanda Davis is committed to teaching some of life's most important lessons to the youngest among us through the stories and illustrations her children's books bring to life.
"I feel like there are so many things going on in the world, and so many things kids are going through. If we can write stories where they see themselves, it's so important and so validating," Davis, a Scituate native and new mother, said. "From there, it turns into inspiration."
Davis is preparing for the summer release of her new book, "Moonlight Memories." Aimed at elementary-aged children, the book is based on Davis' own experience of losing a parent and using art to heal.
"It's about realizing you'll always carry your loved one's memory with you. I didn't know it at the time, but I was doing a lot of art and writing that was really healing," Davis, whose dad died before she was in high school, said. "I hope it inspires kids to dream, to escape, to use art or writing as a way to connect with the people around them. ... If I hadn't found this outlet myself, who knows where I'd be."
"Moonlight Memories," which comes out in June, will be Davis' second book. The first, titled "30,000 Stitches" and published by Hachette Book Group, tells the story of the National 9/11 Flag. Illustrated in mixed media by artist Sally Wern Comport, the book tells the true story of the 30-foot-wide American flag that once hung on the façade of a building across from the World Trade Center in New York City.
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Tattered and damaged, the flag traveled almost 120,000 miles to be repaired by residents of all 50 states using patches from other retired flags. Today, it hangs in the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
"These were just regular people who were taking it from place to place, protecting it, caring for it," Davis said. "It was a very big undertaking it. It was a huge community art project. It took a lot of hands, and a lot of stitches. ... It's a very powerful thing."
Before she was a full-time author, Davis worked as an artist and art teacher in Hull public schools. In her time working with children, she said she loved projects that told the story of the artist, connected them to the world around them or honored what it means to be part of a community. Through her nonfiction children's books, she said she hopes to give readers the tools to overcome adversity, ask for help when they need it and "lean into the uncomfortable."
"I've always been drawn to telling stories and using that to tell my own and that of other people," she said. "That's the core of what I do no matter what: telling the stories of identity and who you are."
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"Moonlight Memories" is available for pre-order, and Davis is also under contract to release a third nonfiction children's book, with Penguin Random House. Its title has not been released but Davis said it is based in South Africa and focuses on animals and conservationism.
"With these first three books, I really want people to be inspired to look for the bright spots," Davis said.
For more information on Davis and her work, visit amandadavisart.com.
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Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Marshfield's Amanda Davis writes inspiring nonfiction books for kids
