Alexa Rayburn is a trained health care professional who works with patients suffering from Addiction Disorders and other mental health issues. She has a special interest in parenting, the relationships between family members, and the changing dynamics when pets enter the picture. These situations create opportunities to discuss relationships between humans and the animals who share their lives. Jealousy, sibling rivalry, occasional animosity between a parent and child, and animal misbehavior all are scenarios which modern families deal with on a daily basis. The author introduces the Weathermore family, a very modern family with a working mother and two teenagers who do not always get along. Add a collection of peculiar, persnickety, problematic pets to the family dynamics, and you have a recipe for humorous stories with a twist. How does this family survive? How do they resolve their differences? How do they cope with the particular requirements of the animals who roam the house as well? These stories feature likable, ordinary human characters that we can all relate to. These ordinary characters face extraordinary conflicts and share their lives with animals who can, themselves, be perplexing and problematic. The stories are entertaining and humorous, but also educational, introducing specific facts about the animals and their requirements and behavior. The author, in her stories, gently introduces issues that children think about, but perhaps are afraid to address with the adults in their lives. By using animal relationships intertwined with family relationships, the author tries to make these emotions less threatening to a child. By discussing these feelings, the author hopes the readers can more freely discuss not only the characters, but also the feelings and emotions generated by these situations. These simple, down-to earth stories and likable characters can serve as a springboard to discussions of the big, grey elephants that sit in every living room.
