Jordan Village was written by Robin G Maillett and illustrated by LeeAnn Graham. This book took several years to publish. To get it done, Maillett had a muse and support. This information comes from an email dated October 30, 2010: The book is dedicated to the author's cousin, Cullen Dwyer of Massachusetts, who is a traumatic brain injury survivor. Cullen was injured in 1994 at age 11. The author tried from 1996 to 2002 find a publisher for the story and eventually decided to self-publish. She created Copper Moon Press, which I don't now see now online related to this book.
Jordan Village has a pear tree named Brie that grows horizontally. "Brie was often made fun of by The Tall Oaks and Towering Maples and Weeping Willows. . ." A squirrel lives in this tree, a squirrel with one deformed arm. When a hurricane blows in, Brie escapes wind damage because it is low to the ground. An owl is blown from its perch, lands on the ground, presumably suffering head trauma. The squirrel saves the owl with the help of a friendly neighbor, Rosie. The village of Jordan never makes fun of the tree or the squirrel again.
The email states that a portion of the profits from sales of the book benefit the Brain Injury Association of America. The back cover states, "Cullen was instrumental in getting the Massachusetts helmet law changed." There are photographs of Cullen at the beginning of the book and a statement in his own words on the back cover. He says, "It troubles me to see kids riding bikes, skateboards, inline skates, without helmets. I can only imagine that they don't want to spend months in a hospital and a lifetime with long-term consequences–I don't understand why they don't protect themselves."
This is one of those rare works of art that I will keep for a lifetime.
WonderMedia has "Always Wear a Helmet" Bicycle Safety Video. girl Scout Higher Awards Projects has Heads Up! Helmet and Bike Safety .
