I'm sending winter greetings amid a smattering of snow and biting wind, not knowing exactly what words can soften the unease that lingers over many hearts or instill the grit to carry on, to keep doing good. And so, it's strange but also fitting that this became the moment to introduce you all to Little Helper.
I had been working through it for several years. The story's taken a few different shapes over time, but the core around which everything revolved was the Taoist principle of "wu wei," or effortless action. If you haven't met Ah-Fu yet, he's the oxherd boy and protagonist of Big Enough, a child whose fear overwhelms his self-confidence. In Little Helper, Ah-Fu has the opposite problem of wanting to help everyone yet not being able to. In the end, "wu wei" reveals itself as the perfect resolution to his community's problems.
The two books are companion bookends to a key part of the human experience. How many times have you believed yourself to fall short, but ultimately rose to the occasion? How many times have you struggled with the desire to do something to help another, but were powerless to do so? Life seems to toy with us sometimes, as we go bumping against limits defined by our self-doubt on one side and the reality of our agency on the other.
For me, this has come up constantly throughout the creation of the newest book. I've posed the questions of, "What can I do?" and "How can I help?" more and more. Little Helper explores a timely answer to these questions in the form of a fable, which I hope will touch the hearts of kids and grownups alike.
If you're interested in adding the book to your library or buying it for a loved one, it is available for pre-order now through my local bookstore, Martin House Books. To thank you for buying through Martin House, I'm signing every copy and including a bonus, illustrated handbook and reading guide that shares more on the philosophy of "wu wei." You won't want to miss it.
Looking forward to sharing more from this work. In the meantime, I appreciate your reading as always.
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