Jay Foreman’s new children’s book is about looking for the good in every situation.
“It’s based on a principle of leadership. The Principle of Perception,” said the Stephens City author who has written more than a dozen books. “Two different people can look at a circumstance and see something different.”
What he’s noticed while teaching leadership classes is that if people expect a situation to be good or bad, they’ll usually be right.
“Whoever we’re looking for, we’re going to find it,” he said. “Look for the good in every situation. When you do that, [you’ll] continue to be happier.
The book is titled “Greetings from Camp Wefowasa” and is the ninth on which he has teamed up with Winchester illustrator Mark Sasser.
“This one is our favorite to date,” Foreman said.
“[It’s] Leonard’s story and his decision to go to summer camp,” reads the back cover of the book.
“There are a lot of reasons for him to go to Camp Wefowasa,” the cover says. “Then again, there are plenty of reasons for him to stay away! Ultimately, Leonard learns an inspiring message: when we look for the good in every situation, we always seem to find it.
The story begins with Leonard receiving a brochure for camp.
“Really, the whole book reads like the pamphlet,” Foreman said.
When Leonard arrives at camp, he learns that the pamphlet describes things differently than he imagined and differently from what he sees.
It’s up to the reader to decide “which one should I subscribe to?” said the foreman.
Foreman, who has published a variety of books for all ages, is working with Genesis Publishing House in Indiana for the first time to produce his new book.
The idea for the book came from wanting to share the leadership principle of perception with a younger generation through its writing.
“I started thinking, this is absolutely a great concept,” he said. “It’s a great concept to start teaching at an early age.”
It’s also a book that adults can enjoy as much as children, he says.
“I kind of go where ideas take me.”
The book is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers as well as from Foreman’s website, jaywforeman.com.
A book signing at the Winchester Book Gallery, 7 N. Loudoun St., Winchester, will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on August 27.