BARKLAY & EVE BOOK, "PRECIOUS GIFTS" AVAILABLE IN TIME FOR ORGAN DONOR AWARENESS MONTH

Children's book author Karen Carney is making special preparations for Spring; She's getting prepared to spread the word that April is National Organ Donation Awareness Month and this year, Carney has a special way to share the message with Precious Gifts an installment of her Barklay & Eve book series, featuring two illustrated canine characters, based on her real-life pets, who are helpful for adults to explain organ and tissue donation to children.

"Precious Gifts was written with the same underlying theme of all of the Barklay & Eve books to explain tough life subjects to kids. We're focused on helping with the awareness on all age levels for April's designation as Organ Donation Awareness Month. Precious Gifts can be a valuable resource for adults and children that may be currently dealing with the subject, or just to introduce children to the subject," Carney said.

April is the time to open a discussion with family and friends about the possibilities of donating life. The Barklay and Eve book, Precious Gifts helps adults open that topic in a non-threatening manner with children.

Carney explained, "Organ and tissue donation awareness month is a time for people to seek answers to common questions about donating and to share their thoughts and feelings. In Precious Gifts, the characters, Barklay and Eve encourage children to ask questions, in additions to providing answers to common questions children ask, like: What are organs and tissue? What happens to a person's organs and tissues when they are donated? Does it hurt the donor?"

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, a very important part of becoming a donor is discussing it with your family and friends so they can support your wishes and be your advocate when the time comes.

Carney says, even the youngest members of the family are affected by this significant decision. Precious Gifts not only explains the process of donating and its effect on the donor, but also how it benefits the recipients. Barklay and Eve go on to explain that organ and tissue donation helps save the lives of others, even some people they know.

Karen L. Carney, writer and illustrator of the Barklay & Eve book series, said, "Having been based on a true story, this book really hit home for me. I feel it was necessary to write, because organ and tissue transplants are so common, and as more people realize the need for them, the more people are becoming donors. This can be a confusing subject for children, especially since illness and death are the situations surrounding it. However, it can be an important and helpful part of the grieving process for a child to know that organ and tissue donations are gifts of life for many people. The Barklay & Eve book, Precious Gifts is not simply a children's book, as all of books in the Barklay & Eve series, it is a tool that all family members and friends can benefit from."

For further help with discussing organ and tissue donation with children, family, and friends, contact The National Organ Donor Family Council at 1-800-622-9010, or your local organization. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, every day approximately 63 people receive an organ transplant, but 16 people die because not enough organs are available. Discuss your decision to donate with your family.

"The characters, Barklay and Eve emphasize the importance of having the love and support of family and friends during difficult times. I believe that's the most important and beneficial message in the series," said Carney.
The Barklay and Eve books are oversized laminated paperbacks that carry a retail price of $7.95 each with all of the proceeds going to the D'Esopo Resource Center, which helps support children and adults of all ages through the grieving process.

All books in the series are written in child-friendly terms, so that children have a better understanding of perplexing life subjects. Adults are encouraged to read along with children, making the books an aid when talking to children about sensitive subjects. Some of the books include: Together We'll Get Through This, recognizes and validates all kinds of losses that children may have, including divorce, moving, illness or death of pets and other loved ones; Honoring Our Loved Ones: Going to a Funeral, guides children through the death, calling hours and funeral of a loved one. It addresses common questions like "What does the word dead mean" and "Why does the body look and feel different." In addition other Barklay and Eve books concern cremation, the Jewish tradition of burial and mourning with an explanation of the term, "Sit Shiva," organ and tissue donation, and others.

Barklay and Eve, the inspiration for the series, are Portuguese Water Dogs, the actual pets of author and illustrator, Karen L. Carney, a Registered Nurse and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. As a recipient of the American Cancer Society's Lane W. Adams Award, Carney has earned national recognition for clinical excellence. She has been an adjunct professor at Central Connecticut State University and Southern Connecticut State University for over 10 years, teaching courses in Death and Dying, Bereavement and Aging.

In addition to the books, Dragonfly Publishing currently offers plush Barklay & Eve products, and the company is open to expansion on its plush manufacturing, as well as all other licensed product categories. For more information on Dragonfly Publishing, Barklay & Eve and The D'Esopo Resource Center, visit the company website at www.barklayandeve.com



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