A Lens View - Family

Dax is a ten-year-old boy who loves eating, playing soccer, taking pictures, playing games on his tablet, and most of all, being with his friends and family. Following his parents' divorce, Dax and his younger sister Isabella share homes with their mother and grandfather and their father and new stepmother. With a new baby on the way at their father's home, Dax is confronted with the notion of family and how it fits together when that family is separated – and then becomes a blended family. With the help of his Papaw's gift of photography, Dax sees how family trees are fashioned and then seen as the hallmark of a family's legacy.

Daxter (Dax) E. Roland is a ten-year-old boy who loves eating, playing soccer, taking pictures, playing games on his tablet, and most of all, being with his friends and family. Dax's mother and father are divorced and share custody of him and his younger sister, Isabella, who is quite the character. At first, not being with both parents is tough on him, but eventually Dax comes to be happy living in both homes. His father remarries, and now there is a new baby on the way. While Dax is excited to get a new brother or sister, he gets confused when he overhears his father and stepmother, JJ, talk about a soon-to-be complicated family tree. Not understanding what a family tree is, he consults his Papaw, who lives with them at their mother's home following the death of their Mamaw. Papaw is a trusted confidante. He is a retired photographer who likes to take pictures that help explain life lessons through a lens view. With the help of Papaw's gift of photography, Dax is shown how family fits together, especially the blended family of which he and Isabella are a part. Dax also sees how family trees are a hallmark of any family's legacy. This book features beautiful illustrations and striking photographs, creating a soft, comforting feeling to a book about a difficult subject. With diverse characters and contemporary subjects, it will appeal to parents, teachers, school counselors and children alike.

Vicki Burris Risbeck is a life-long educator and has lived in the Columbus Ohio area her whole life. Serving in many educational capacities for the last forty-five years, she has been an elementary school teacher, middle school language arts teacher, school counselor, principal, superintendent, and university adjunct professor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Capital University, a Master's degree in Guidance and Counseling from The Ohio State University, and a Doctorate degree in Educational Theory and Practice - with a cognate in Reading - also from The Ohio State University. Vicki studied under the tutelage of Janet Hickman and Gay Su Pinnel respectively, both of The Ohio State University. This is her first published children's book, where her goal is for parents and teachers to share the joy, pain, and wonderment of life together through reading. A Lens View: Family is the first in a series of discovery books using authentic photography and beautiful illustrations. She is currently finishing a middle school novella to be released later in 2021.