Sprout

A journey of self-discovery teaches a boy lessons of knowledge, truth, and goodness.

When a young boy named Woodsprout comes of age, his father gifts him a treasure: an intricately handcrafted book bound in fine red leather with the instruction that he fill up the pages with his life’s story. The ensuing journey has ‘Sprout’ on a quest for words, wisdom, and adventure—and the meaning of life.

His travels has Sprout meeting all sorts of vibrant characters who provide descriptive words and illuminating experiences that he carefully enters into his prized book: the Miller, the Knight, the Librarian, the Hag, and, of course, the Wizard and Dawn—each providing valuable lessons of truth, knowledge, and goodness.

The young boy learns that there are limitless wonders of knowledge, that which would take endless lifetimes to discover. Most importantly, through his journey of self-discovery, Sprout has acquired a desire for wisdom, a valuable gift to be used for a lifetime.

An exquisite modern-day fairy tale that brings a philosophical adventure story to kids about the meaning of life.

 The late children's book author Richard P. Gleason was on a spiritual journey for most of his life, studying philosophy, backpacking around the world, traveling to India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. This had a great influence on his writing and, particularly, his children's literary middle-grade fiction fairy tale novel, Sprout, about a young boy's search for the meaning of life.
    A student of eastern philosophy and religion, Richard had a passion for adventure and learning, much like his book's character. He majored in those concepts at American University where he continued his quest for the meaning of life. Having met the storied American novelist, James Michener, at his parents' restaurant, Richard became inspired by the author's style of writing and genre.
    Richard attended the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where he first thought about a future as a writer. Sprout was originally published by Winston-Derek Publishers in 1987 to respected literary recognition. Having made his home in Pennsylvania with his wife and two daughters, it was Richard's hope that his intellectual and compassionate children's novel would kindle the fire of knowledge within the minds of his young readers. His book was also used as a teaching tool to encourage philosophical thinking in the classroom.
    After his untimely death and thirty-five years since its original publication, Richard's family wished to revise and reissue a relaunch of Sprout as a celebration of a clever and witty-minded author, a loving and caring father, and a wise and inspiring uncle.
A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to Suicide Awareness.