Love Brings "Missing Bells" to Seeley Lake

SEELEY LAKE – Former Seeley Lake resident Donna Love has written a number of picture books introducing young children to elk, herons, osprey, loons and national parks. Her most recent book, "Santa and the Missing Christmas Bells" ("Missing Bells"), is a chapter book targeting a third-grade reading level, though in interest level it will also appeal to younger and older children.

Love will be at the Grizzly Claw Trading Co. Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 2-5 p.m. to talk to visitors about her book and to sign copies of it.

Like Love's earlier book, "Morning Glory, Morning Glory, Why Do You Close at Night?" "Missing Bells" is also illustrated by her daughter Laura. In addition to the front and back cover pieces, the younger Love's drawings introduce each new chapter and other pictures are sprinkled throughout the book.

Laura graduated from Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) in 2006 and the Art Institute of Seattle in 2009. She said she is exploring many different opportunities in furthering her art career and enjoys working on commissioned portraits.

About children's books Laura said, "Illustrating stories has been my childhood dream and it's my favorite work. Between commission work, I plan to begin working on my own original stories and ideas."

Currently she is in the process of illustrating another book her mother has written.

Love said her story about the "Missing Bells" was inspired by a number of things. One was her daughter's musical prowess. Love relates how Laura wrote down her first composition at the age of four, using a color-coded child's music keyboard. Laura noted the colors on a piece of paper so she would be able to play the song again. When she was older, Laura took piano lessons and taught herself how to play the xylophone and other instruments, often performing her own compositions at SSHS concerts. Love's amazement at her daughter's innate musical sense found an echo in Knell, the main character in "Missing Bells."

Love said inspiration for the book also came from her contemplation of the familiar carol, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." The song originated as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, written after the death of his son during the Civil War. Love called the carol "heart wrenching and heartwarming at the same time."

From the song's premise that the pealing of bells throughout the world brings a message of peace, Love envisioned a world in which bells were missing. In the imagined resulting chaos, "Little tin drums didn't rummy-yum-tum. They thumped and rumbled, "Glummy, glum, glum."

"Missing Bells" includes a few subtle references that Seeley Lake residents will recognize. For example, in the book Knell's school music director is named Mr. Green. Love said she attended a number of her children's school concerts directed by SSHS's Mr. Green. She particularly remembers a 2010 SSHS concert that included the playing of long cylinder bells hanging from a large stand. That and a bell-ringing concert by the Seeley-Swan Mountain Bells helped add greater authenticity to Love's story descriptions.

"Santa and the Missing Christmas Bells" is available in both paperback and Kindle e-book format. Love said it was a fun book to write.

Love added, "Santa and the Missing Christmas Bells has twelve chapters, perfect for reading to children one chapter at a time for the 12 days of Christmas. The final chapter could be read on Christmas Eve. It ends with 'And just like that, joy was back in Christmas.'"

Love has future plans to expand the book into a Christmas series.