Whenever I hear of an author’s book release and it’s happening locally, I generally try to find a way to make an appearance and show support for local authors. I always look forward to seeing aspiring writers finally show off their projects to the public. So, when Daniel Mault sent me an invitation on Facebook to his book release extravaganza, I knew that I would be making a trip out to Burt for the event.
Daniel Mault is a third grade teacher at Royalton-Hartland Elementary School in Gasport. He first came up with the idea of The Cost of Gold: A True Fairytale several years ago. The hardest part, he said, was “finding the perfect illustrator to do exactly what I pictured.” He found that perfect illustrator in Jessie Miller of Medina.
The Cost of Gold is the story of a sister and brother who come from a family that struggles to survive. Maggie, the girl, often sits along the creek and dreams of better days without worries. One day she is given the chance to live out her dreams, but is she willing to pay the costs?
“I want people to know one of my main reasons for writing this story was to help kids understand the power of love. I want kids to understand that things are just things, but at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the love and support we receive from family and friends.”
The book is written with grade school aged children in mind. It is a morality tale that has been told many times over the years, but remains fresh and vibrant with Mault’s writing. Combined with Miller’s warm and inviting illustrations, this book will be enjoyed by both children as well as the parents reading to them.
All four of my girls read the book the first day we got it. I even read it that first day. It was hard to get it away from the girls, but I was able to wrest it away while they were not looking. I even read it twice to make sure I got every word. My seven-year-old loves it most. Since that’s about the age that Mault was attempting to target, he’s done so perfectly.
Copies of The Cost of Gold can be purchased at www.edtech101.org, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. The Teacher’s Guide and Literature Packet for the book can be found at http://bit.ly/costofgoldmault.