Xlibris Book Teaches Art of Coping with Death

It is never easy to deal with the loss of a loved one, but Jerrold Johnson tells readers that death is simply a part of the cycle of life through the Xlibris picture book, Horse and the Little Girl.

Horse and the Little Girl is a story about the beautiful yet short-lived relationship between a dilapidated rocking horse and a child diagnosed with a rare genetic disease. While it may involve a tale of heartbreak, it also provides an inspiring lesson about a higher spiritual love. The book also teaches the virtue of hope and learning to move on after a loss.

The story of Horse and the Little Girl is actually inspired by Johnson’s loss of his own granddaughter to a rare genetic problem known as monochromatic leukodystrophy. This brain disorder causes loss of balance and rapid muscle deterioration.

Writing Horse and the Little Girl was Johnson’s way of coping with his granddaughter’s loss, although it took quite a while before he could actually put the words into writing. This was due to his granddaughter’s parents’ difficulty in dealing with the death. It was only after more than 10 years and after some healing has taken place to the cherished child’s parents that Johnson was able to come out with the book.

Johnson notes that death is a simple reality that cannot be avoided, as with the narrative of his granddaughter and the tale of Horse and the Little Girl. He feels that the hand of God is still present even in times of grief. “My concept of God is love. If someone dies and you care, that’s God in action,” he says. “God is always the first to care when someone dies.”

This inspiring and thought-provoking book has not only helped Johnson in dealing with his own grief: Horse and the Little Girl has also been named as a finalist in the 2007 Best Books Awards by USABookNews.com, thus making this book one of the more important titles to read this year.

All of this, because of a little angel and her rocking horse.


About the Author
Jerrold Johnson is no stranger to death. He is a retired medical doctor, and thus has seen death in many forms. It was only in 1993 when death became a personal experience for him with the passing of his granddaughter, Katie – his inspiration for the book, Horse and the Little Girl.

These days, Johnson is busy volunteering as a physician at the Gallatin Community Clinic for people with little or no health insurance. He is also active in mental health. Johnson also continues to hone his writing skills through penning essays and poetry for two churches. He resides in Bozeman, Montana with his wife, Margaret.


About Xlibris
Xlibris was founded in 1997 and, as the leading publishing services provider for authors, has helped to publish more than 20,000 titles. Xlibris is based in Philadelphia, PA and is a strategic partner of Random House Ventures, LLC, a subsidiary of Random House, Inc. Xlibris provides authors with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound, and full-color formats.

For more information, visit Xlibris.com, e-mail us at pressrelease@xlibris.com or call now at 1-888-795-4274 ext 7430 to receive your free publishing guide.