On bookshelves this summer is a captivating new children’s book brimming with delightful illustrations that teaches important lessons about the power of one.

Written by West Hartford resident Harry Weller and illustrated by UConn grad Shaina Cooper, Imagine My World gives readers a glimpse into the vivid imagination of one young girl as she learns to use her imagination to transform herself and the world around her. It’s a book about empowerment and self-esteem, as she comes to the realization that even a young girl like herself can make her real world better. 

The book’s clever verse and adorable illustrations combine to provide a wonderful adventure for any child – from a two-year-old being read to at bedtime to a seven-year old picking up a book to read by themselves for the first time.

How Imagine My World came to be is in and of itself a tale worth telling.

The seed for what would become Imagine My World was planted in the imagination of Harry Weller almost 35 years ago when Weller, a longtime member of Beth David Synagogue, wrote the book’s core poem. 

A prolific writer, many of Weller’s works began ‘life’ as poems. Still, he seemed to have a special affinity for this particular piece. But with a busy life both at work and at home, and frustrated by the fruitless search to find just the right illustrator, he remained unable to transform his poem into a book. Nevertheless, the core poem lived on nightly, as Harry added a tune and sang it to his younger daughter Elayna each night at bedtime.

Fast forward to July 2019. 

It was then that, after 32 years as a State of Connecticut prosecutor, Weller retired and found himself with the time to indulge his heretofore repressed creative interests. And it was then that serendipity stepped in. While attending a ceremony at which their good friend Ben Cooper received the French Legion of Honor, awarded to the West Hartford native for his heroic service as a medic during World War II, the Wellers – Harry and his wife Robyn – met Cooper’s granddaughter, Shaina Cooper. Harry and Shaina, who had just graduated from UConn with a degree in illustration and animation, got to talking and, long story short, Shaina agreed to take a stab at illustrating Harry Weller’s nascent book. 

And so, a synergetic team was born. The two began serious work in December 2019, meeting regularly in person or by phone, planning out all the details, from how the story’s hero looked to each illustration to the front and back covers. Throughout the process, Weller continued to expand and edit the story, with the help of Shaina’s mother, Teresa Cooper, an elementary school teacher and librarian, and his wife Robyn and their daughters Elayna and Sarah. 

Finally, Harry Weller’s decades-long labor of love became a hardcover reality. Now he hopes that children from all walks of life will get as much pleasure from Imagine My World as his family has throughout the years.

Imagine My World is available for $12.95 and may be personalized by the author. For more information, email Harry Weller at Harrwell3@gmail.com. Books are also available on Ebay at https://www.ebay.com/itm/203507704992 (add $5 for shipping and handling).

Main Photo: Imagine My World author Harry Weller and illustrator Shaina Cooper at the June 29 book signing event in West Hartford.