The Complex Quest of Riley Red: A Character Building Journey About Growing Through Change and Uncertainty

Here is a must read for parents and children of 2021! The Complex Quest of Riley Red is beautifully illustrated and imbued with lessons about empathy and resilience. This contemplative children’s book draws readers close with a character building tale of change, fear, and healing. 

“It’s funny how everyone seems to see the same world a little differently. Sometimes, a lot differently. Now that Mom and Dad live in separate places, I’m not sure how to view the world anymore. I guess that kind of thing makes more sense when you grow up.”

Eleven year old Riley Red is new to the Eden Apartment Complex. But, it’s no Eden. The new home is a creepy old building that evokes fear around every corner. When Riley is tasked with an errand that spans the complex, a quirky cast of tenants present themselves. Each claim to know how the real world works. As Riley juggles new ideas, further proof surfaces that this building harbors dark secrets and in the end, the worst of these fears is realized.  Only then can the true crisis be confronted: the loss of normal. 

The Complex Quest is a conversational tool for parents, teachers, or counselors.

It fosters open-ended dialogue about:

◆ Resilience

◆ Healing

◆ Reality

◆ Worldviews

◆ Gender

◆ Divorce

◆ Grief

◆ Pain

And, teaches critical thinking, social emotional learning, and fosters one’s own creative power. 

Written and illustrated by two unlikely friends, a dad/stepdad duo with insight forged from real-life experience. It touches on issues facing children of divorce with kindness and wisdom.

♥ This book addresses fear and grief with unflinching honesty. Prepare to be enchanted by the beautiful interplay of story and illustration. Cathartic, insightful, and brave, this one is right on time. ♥