FEATURED ARTIST

This week I want to feature a graphic artist that I have come across who has taken her design talent and written a children's book incorporating her art with a story about her little girl. This little girl is adopted. The book is the story of her adoption and her travels from China to the United States. The title of the book is Born from the Heart.

This is so special that I am foregoing my usual interview format to tell you what I have learned about this artist and this book. First of all, the book is, at the present time, self-published. Several publishers have expressed interest in the book but until one of them buys the rights to publish the book the artist, Barbara Lynn Greif, has had the book professionally printed from a book printer using off-set printing presses. As Ms. Greif told me, this book is not a computer generated, softbound glue up but a professionally typeset and press printed with a hard cover, saddle stitched binding. The book is of the quality that you will find at any bookstore.

Ms. Greif tells me that she drew and colored each illustration and wrote the story. She said that it was a story that she had to tell and share. This is a child that she did not give birth to the usual way but this child is born from her heart - an emotional experience as intense as if she had natural childbirth.

The book has been selling in local bookshops and children's stores. Ms. Greif wanted to expand distribution of the book and opened a shop on Etsy. This is a unique shop and right now only sells this book and nothing else. Ms. Grief is autographing each book that she sells on Etsy.



The story is enduring, cute, and funny. There is an encounter in the book between this little girl (who Ms. Greif tells me came to her family at 15 months) and a pregnant woman in a department store that is very funny. She tells me that this really happened.

Ms. Greif hopes that anyone with an adopted child or who is thinking of adopting a child will read her book. The book is perfect to teach children about adoption. Schools and religious groups will find this book a welcome addition to their library for children.

I highly recommend BORN FROM THE HEART and hope that you will visit Barbara Greif's Etsy shop and see the quality of the book and its illustrations - and make a purchase!