Boo Boo Bear's Mission: The True Story of a Teddy Bear's Adventures in Iraq

Boo Boo Bear’s Mission tells the story of a beloved teddy bear on an important mission.Young Shea Leigh’s dad has been deployed to Iraq with the Air National Guard. To help her dad feel less lonely while he is away from his family, Shea Leigh sends Boo Boo Bear to him in a care package. Half a world away from home, Boo Boo tours the base with Dad, embarks on a jet fighter flight and fulfills an important mission—to carry a family’s love until they can be together again.

Mary Linda Sather is the mother of a member of the Air National Guard, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother. As a parent and as a long-time educator, she has witnessed the stressful effects separation can have on families.When her son called during his second deployment in Iraq to tell her that his youngest daughter, Shea Leigh, had sent her teddy bear to him to keep him company, Mary Linda was deeply touched. She knew that she wanted to turn that experience into a story with a reassuring, happy ending that could be shared with other military families.