I Promise I'll Find You

A child's fear of being lost or separated is handled beautifully with colorful pastel illustrations and gentle rhymes.--San Diego Union Tribute (11/26/2005) Being lost is a major fear central to childhood, but fears are soothed in this collection of 11 deceptively simple verses. The imagery is vivid--a mother or father rows a rowboat, rides a horse, drives a race car, or shoots through space in a rocket-ship until the child is found, brought back home, and enveloped in love and safety.-- (12/01/2007) Reassuring... the text is complemented by action-packed illustrations in warm, vibrant colors.-- (09/23/2007) The greatest fear of every parent and child is to be separated from each other. I Promise I'll Find You addresses this fear sensitively, but without minimizing the feelings of anguish. Young readers will be reassured to know the lengths to which adults will go to find a missing child. The story of a mother searching for her lost child is told in first person in 11 rhyming verses. The endearing message is one of unconditional devotion. There is great variety in the artistic style, media, and visual perspectives in Sheila McGraw's illustrations. However, similar features create continuity and, with assistance, children can find in the picture a small, featureless figure gesturing to his mother. The author's message is about situations in which parents and children experience long, anxious periods of separation.... However, the story is warmly reassuring to children who simply have a fear of being lost and to those who have experienced an unintentional separation from parents in a public place.-- (01/01/2007)

Heather Patricia Ward is the mother of four children and this is her first book. Sheila McGraw illustrated the perennial bestseller, Love You Forever.