alexander gunningham

HARRY’S STORIES - THE ROAD TO RECOVERY.

Stories to Help Make Children Feel Better by Alexander Gunningham.

Copyright Alexander Gunningham 2002.

SYNOPSIS.

These stories feature two principle characters: a young boy Johnny (who has an unspecified disease) and his teddy bear called Harry. At night, in Johnny’s dreams, the pair have several adventures together.

Their exploits take part in a magical land within the dreamscape, called Happy Valley. There Harry introduces Johnny to new friends, most of whom are other bears.

Each new friend has a message of hope and wisdom for Johnny, expressed in simple terms that the youngest child of average intelligence will easily be able to grasp. With each night’s lesson and experience, Johnny learns to cope with his illness.

He also learns to relish every aspect of his existence and surroundings. He becomes stronger and wiser with each successive tale. In the final story, Johnny will have almost completely recuperated from his disease.

• • • • • • •

It is intended that there will be seven episodes in this volume of Harry’s Stories - the Road to Recovery. Each story should be printed in a volume of seven books; available singly and also collected together as a boxed set.

The stories are written in a style that young children and older people will all find easy to follow. The sprinkling of magic throughout the volume lends it an enchanting quality. Each story is very easily understood and readily translatable into any existing modern language.

As well as helping the sickly child and its elder co-readers or narrators come to terms with illness, the books are also intended to serve as a vocabulary builder and language tool.

Alexander was inspired to write Harry’s Stories - the Road to Recovery after being diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia in 2002. He felt the need to create something that has lasting social value whilst still being entertaining. He was encouraged and inspired by witnessing the stoicism, cheeriness and braveness by his fellow Leukaemiacs and other Cancer sufferers on the children’s and adults’ wards at his local hospital.