Musically talented 10-year old Nancy loves to explore the nearby woodland and feels at home with all aspects of nature. The story tells how Nancy and her mother cope with the news of her father's terminal illness. The author addresses the subject of bereavement in a sympathetic and realistic way while successfully encouraging the young reader to accept death as an inevitable stage of life itself. Bereavement, loss and separation are three of the most unsettling of emotions that one faces in their lifetime; none more so than when it involves the death of a family member and is experienced by a child. The healthy negotiation of this process requires time, patience and understanding by all concerned, along with the necessary expression of the bereaved person's feelings. When a young child experiences the death of a parent, it is not unusual for them to be left feeling emotionally confused and partly 'responsible'. It is at such times when 'sensitivity' by the adult minders needs to be at its greatest and 'being there' for the bereaved child is of the highest premium. Nancy's Song was written in memory of the late Roy Castle and was first published in June 1995. It identifies through its story the death of a father, many of the emotions that the bereaved family members experience both prior to and after the death of a loved one. The story is suitable for any child aged 7 years upwards.It is advisable to be read within the presence of an adult as it more than likely to make the reader cry.
About the Author: William Forde was born in Ireland and now lives in Haworth, West Yorkshire, England with his wife Sheila. He has 5 children and is the author of 61 published books and 2 musical plays which are now available as Ebooks. One of West Yorkshire's most popular children's authors, his books were publicly read in over 2000 Yorkshire school assemblies by over 800 famous names and celebrities from the realms of Royalty, Film, Stage, Screen, Politics, Church, Sport between 1990 and 2002. The late Princess Diana read his earlier books to her then young sons, William and Harry. The late Nelson Mandela once phoned him to praise an African storybook he wrote. Others who have supported his works include 3 Princesses, 3 Prime Ministers, 2 Presidents and numerous Bishops of the realm. Former Chief Inspector of Schools for Ofsted, Chris Woodhead described his writings to the press as 'high quality literature.' Always at the forefront of change, he became the youngest Youth Leader and Trade Union Shop Steward in Great Britain at 18. In 1971, he founded Anger Management in Great Britain and freely gave his courses to the world. In the next 2 years, Anger Management courses mushroomed across the English-speaking world. In the mid-70s, he introduced Relaxation Training into HM Prisons. Between 1970 and 1995, he worked as a Probation Officer specialising in Relaxation Training, Anger and Stress Management, and Assertive Training Group Work introducing Relaxation Training groups into HM Prisons and also freely operating his Anger Management techniques, Stress Reduction Programmes and Relaxation Training groups within Educational establishments, Churches, Community Halls, Probation Offices, Hostels, Hospitals, Psychiatric Units and Old Folk's Homes. He retired early due to ill health in 1995 to further his writing career. This led him to work with the Minister of Youth and Culture in Jamaica establishing a trans-Atlantic pen-pal project between 30 primary schools in Falmouth, Jamaica and Yorkshire. William was awarded the MBE in the 1995 New Year's Honours List for services to West Yorkshire. He has never sought to materially profit from the publication of his books and all profit from their sales (approx £200,000 between 1990 and 2002) were given to charity. His latest books were published for adults under the generic title of "Tales from Portlaw". In 2013, William Forde learned that he had a terminal illness (CLL) for which he is presently undergoing treatment.