Although Olive and her Grandma Marchie loved each other a lot, they can't see each other very much. Olive doesn't really understand why, because she loves Marchie so much. Marchie can't even come to Olive's school on Grandparents' Day.
One July 4th weekend, Olive and her younger cousins, Malcolm and Simone, are with their family in the backyard and realize that all the family is there except for Marchie. The three cousins decide they need to do something to change things, but they know the grown-ups won't listen to them. Then Simone has a great idea: they'll form a rock band together and play loud music until their parents agree to let Marchie come to family get-togethers. Malcolm plays guitar, Simone plays the drums, and Olive sings and sings. They make a lot of noise-but will it be enough to get their parents to agree to let Marchie spend time with them?
In a tale about children claiming their power to love, three cousins form a rock band in order to persuade their parents to let them see their grandmother.
About the Author: March Bracken has written an inspiring story for children, their parents and grandparents - that encourages love, patience and the assertion of one's spirit. Olive and the Flower Children is a beautifully written ode to the enduring power of unconditional love that grandparents and grandchildren have for each other.
Marc St. Camille, Life Coach, and a loving uncle of many nieces and nephews who love their grandparents.
Marc St.Camille
In Olive and the Flower Children, March addresses a topic seldom, if ever seen in children's literature. The story highlights the ties that bind generations, even when that tie of the heart is interrupted by a parental generation. The ties between a child and a grandparent are strong if left to flower in love. That unbroken bond of love is seen through Olive's eye, a child empowered to champion the connection to her beloved grandmother, "Marchie" despite all obstacles.
The author has the rare gift of never being terminally adult, allowing her to be filled with the wonder of a child. That is what makes this story one told with the wisdom and simplicity of a child, a child full of love.
Barbe Creagh, PhD, LCSW, FAMI is a transpersonal psychologist in private practice. Her years of professional work in hospice and end of life care have been teachers about the "ties that bind generations in love."
