The Raspberry Man: Inspired by a True Story

by Janalee Tobias

Overview

One lazy summer day in the summer of 1968, a young girl discovers an enchanting backyard teeming with fruit trees, flowers, roses, and a fairy-tale castle birdhouse clustered between pine trees and a mysterious old white cottage. Nestled in the back of this secret garden is a magnificent raspberry patch. Row upon row of bright-red raspberries dot the green leaves of the raspberry plants and light up the raspberry patch like lights on a Christmas tree. There the young girl meets “the raspberry man,” the seventy-seven-year-old owner of this hidden wonderland, a Danish immigrant who came to United States to live the American dream. He sends her home with a bouquet of roses and a bowl of raspberries. Soon after this visit, she adopts him as her grandpa and they form a lifetime friendship. Charming illustrations help to tell this heartwarming tale, inspired by a true story, about the love that can be shared between the elderly and the young. This book also reminds us of the importance of kindness and respecting every generation and culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781491842201
Publisher:	AuthorHouse
Publication date:	12/12/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	54
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

About the Author

Born the youngest of seven children, Janalee Tobias was raised in Idaho. She wrote The Raspberry Man as an assignment for an English class at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho (now known as BYU-Idaho). Thirty years later, she found this story while going through some old college papers and entered it into a writing contest, where it won first place. Several people suggested she make the story into a children’s book. So, thanks to her great-niece Julia Adams, who is the illustrator, people can see and read about the real-life characters in a time when the world was carefree, happy-go-lucky, and out of harm’s way. Each picture by Julia is hand-drawn and colored with loving care. The author hopes that everyone is blessed with a “raspberry man” in his or her life. Janalee graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She currently resides in Utah with her husband, Steve, and cat and a canary. They have two adult daughters, Lisa and Stephanie. Janalee has been involved with many high-profile organizations protecting the Bill of Rights and has had legal representation at the Utah Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States with important court cases defending the First and Second Amendments of the United States Constitution.

About the Illustrator

Born and raised in Utah, illustrator Julia Adams was diagnosed with autism at the age of two. Since her early elementary years, Julia has devoted literally thousands of hours to honing her skills as an artist. A mostly self-taught illustrator, Julia currently attends a post-high school program and aspires to have a career in illustration and animation. Julia is the great-niece of the author and the real-life inspiration for the character of Jani in The Raspberry Man. Now a young adult, Julia resides in Centerville, Utah, with her parents, three siblings (with another on the way), and her cat, Skippy.