Anybody who tells you it’s easy to raise teenagers has never done it. It’s hard to raise them, but in this ever-complicated world, the teen years are more difficult for teens to navigate than ever before.

My youngest daughter was going through some unthinkable things that she felt she couldn’t share with anyone during her teen years. She was doing her best to deal with the situation, but I could see her veering off the road. After trying unsuccessfully to help her, I sat down with a pen and paper.

Up all night, I wrote and rewrote until the message was clear, “I will go to the ends of the earth for you.” The words came from my cutting pain, joyful memories, and hope for a bright future. As parents, we want the best for our children, but I wanted to tell her in words that would remind her that I am always here for her. Today, she is happy and successful. She is also a mother who has gone to the ends of the earth for her daughter.

I didn’t plan for this to be a book. It was a private letter with a powerful message I decided others would like to share with their children and grandchildren. So, with a few details changed, my second best-selling book, To the Ends of Earth, was published.

Reuben McHugh, who illustrated my third book, A Tooth Fairy Named Mort, did a phenomenal job illustrating this book. The details, animals, and bright colors draw the attention of young children sitting in your lap through the ages to grandmothers in their rocking chairs. The love expressed through the pages will bring you back time and time again.

This hardcover book’s universal message, I’ll love you forever, is a popular gift for baby showers, a bedtime story for children, a reminder for teens heading off to college, and even for adult children so they never forget. One young girl who purchased this book told me it was for her grandmother’s 90th birthday. “She has gone to the ends of the earth for me, and now it’s my turn to go to the ends of the earth for her,” was the sweet gesture she shared with me.

At a higher reading level, the backstory takes you into the forest after a fire as you learn about survival and rebuilding. Here, you will meet a lost boy whose mother finds him and assures him that she will always go to the ends of the earth for him. You will find a discovery page at the back of the book with activities and additional information about forests and fires.

I hope you enjoy sharing this book, and I hope love always fuels your journey as you travel to the ends of the earth for the loves of your life.