My mother understood the importance of starting a child early with reading. I remember her reading the original Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi to me. Things do NOT go well with Honest John or Jiminy Cricket! She also read Alice in Wonderland, Charlotte's Web, and the stories of the Brothers Grimm. Then, when I was old enough to read more advanced books on my own, she bought me the condensed versions of Oliver Twist, The Count of Monte Christo, and various other works.In my teens, I loved reading Tom Sawyer, short stories by O'Henry, Steinbeck, Edgar Allen Poe, and tall tales by other various authors. My mother taught me that creativity and imagination were undoubtedly just as important as my analytical side. It's one thing to work in a factory turning knobs and dials. It's another to work in a factory turning knobs and dials that create the most wonderful chocolates you could ever imagine! Treat each day as a new adventure, not just a job.I grew up as a "military brat." My father was a 30-year Air Force veteran, and we sometimes had to be packed and ready to move again at a moment's notice. I have lived primarily in North Carolina since 1982, with the exception of my time being deployed due to my service in the United States Marine Corps.I have always had a great imagination, with short stories randomly coming to mind. Finally, my wife told me I had to write one of them down. This is how The Smallest of Things was born. My wife, Kelly, has been my "subject matter expert" regarding Ari and how he interacts with the world around him. She has a Doctor of Education degree in curriculum and instruction, specializing in autism education. She also has master's degrees in special education and developmental psychology.Kelly worked for several years as the director of a K-12 private school for children with autism. I listened to her talk about the students and parents and saw how she interacted with them. I also volunteered several times and was able to work with the students myself. A few years ago, Kelly and I discovered a love of gardening; of course, not just any gardening, however. We began planting various plants that were beneficial not only to our own health but also to our little friends that often go unnoticed. With this book, I wanted to present something like a beginner expedition guide with simple illustrations that would hopefully spur the reader's imagination. Think of the Lewis and Clark expedition notes where the flowers or various insects were just drawn in the footnotes of the pages.Through my gardening expeditions, I discovered that I loved interacting with the smallest of things. These adventures have included everything from petting small jumping spiders and rescuing trapped dragonflies to feeding bees a bit of sugar water or honey from the palm of my hand.I hope that this book will help you to open your eyes and mind to the little things that are all around us. These little things can really make a big difference in your life and open paths of communication with each other.Compassion for even the smallest of things costs you nothing, but the rewards are priceless.
