Anastasia in the Light and Shadow.

Embroidering the air with breathtaking humanity...

"Do you want me to teach you something very noble to say?"

She nodded solemnly.

"This is the most noble thing I can think of for any human being to say: 'Do your worst. I will not kneel.'"

She said, "Do your worst. I will not kneel."

"That's right. Just the words, no special emphasis. Nobility triumphs when it fearlessly faces tragedy. And that, my Empress, is the most remarkable, wonderful thing that can ever happen..."

I put this book together for myself, so that I would have it available to present as a gift to children I love - may their names be legion.

I wrote this story for adults, of course, but children never tire of hearing how great kids are - from three-year-olds at bedtime to older kids reading on their own.

Anastasia is everything I love about everything: Poetry cultivating splendor. This is a gift I am happy to share with the children you love.