You can take the boy out of the village, but you can’t take the village out of the boy. In my own life, I find this statement to be so true.
About two months ago, I felt compelled to take a closer look at my birth certificate, a document that I had seen and used on numerous occasions. Only this time I noticed something unique - something new. Right at the column where it listed the place of residence, it read Congo Village. I heard myself gasp, a small lump formed in my throat. Truth be told, I have always referred to myself as a country boy - now I had the proof.
The Village, and that is what it was called, was the place I first heard tales of mythical and mysterious creatures, animals with human heads and strange things that lurked beneath the bridge, all told by the most enthusiastic of storytellers - my father. Fortunately, he was also the one to comfort me before bedtime and assure me that everything was going to all right - and I believed him.
Now, the time has come for me to share my own stories of life on Johny Mee’s Island. They are the things I have seen, done and wished I could have done. Like the rejuvenation that musicians feel every time they create a new work, the adventures of our young heroes add up to give a wholesome view of life in an idyllic land.
The first trilogy of books: Adventures in Paradise, Island in the Sun, and Where The Hummingbirds Fly, are a retelling of a time past - picturesque, beautiful and wholesome. I hope you, and the young ones you care about, enjoy every page of intrigue and suspense. The first in the series - Adventures in Paradise - is geared to children ages 8-12, and is currently available as an eBook. The audiobook will be out shortly.
There is an old Swahili saying which states, “It takes a village to raise a child.” In the case of Johny Mee, that’s because they needed all the help they could get. To find out all about it come alongside our young charges as they venture through the fields, tracks and bushes, on their way to another wonderful adventure.
So now, it’s come full circle. At heart, Johny Mee was, and always will be, a little kid from the village.
John Q. Roxborough
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