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Books one and two in Cunningham’s new series, The Glass Table and Shards, will transport young readers to a magical river world, where 12 children try to escape a witch’s spell and save a fragile ecosystem.

Singapore, Singapore (PRWEB) March 22, 2010

Author Leigh K. Cunningham will be launching two new children's books at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair taking place March 23-26 at the Bologna Fair Centre in Italy. The Glass Table and Shards are the first two books in a series for young readers ages eight through 12. The fantasy books touch on themes of unity and ecosystem preservation, and tell a spellbinding story.

The Glass Table begins with 12 children disappearing in broad daylight from a busy Lake Como campground. The children have been cast into a spell by the resident witch to live as spirits in the river Kai. They are divided into two opposing groups: the river spirits and the wood spirits. The river spirits can escape the spell and return home as children, but only with dire consequences for the wood spirits and for nature. In accordance with the rules of the spell, they must protect the river, the lake and the surrounding woods from further destruction. When bulldozers move in on the riverbank, the children must put aside rivalries and work together to stop the development before it is too late, for all of them. The children learn that it is only through trust, camaraderie, and teamwork that they have a chance to return home to their families.

Cunningham hopes that her books provide an interesting and fun way to convey the message about maintaining the integrity of freshwater lakes and rivers and the importance of preserving the ecosystem. “The children learn that what humans do above, beside and near the river, affects their living conditions,” says Cunningham.

The launch of the series coincides with the Dow Live Earth Run for Water campaign on April 18, a series of runs/walks taking place around the globe. “It is hoped that the series with its focus on the importance of waterways, water resources and ecosystem equilibrium will make younger people more aware of these issues,” says Cunningham.

The Glass Table has been named on two Amazon.com bestsellers lists in children’s fiction and has also been listed in the top 10 bestsellers for Time bookstores in Singapore for children’s fiction.

Both The Glass Table and Shards are available on Amazon.com, and wholesale and retail outlets worldwide. Ebooks are available at Smashwords, The Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble and Myebook.

About the Bologna Children’s Book Fair 
The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is the most important international event dedicated to the children’s publishing and multimedia industry. The 47th annual Bologna Children’s Book Fair will be held at the Bologna Fair Centre, Piazza Costituzione entrance from Tuesday March 23 through Friday March 26.

About Author Leigh K. Cunningham 
Leigh Cunningham was born in Rockhampton, Australia, the third of four children. As a child, she spent her school holidays with her grandparents at Mirriwinni in North Queensland. The Babinda Boulders and Thiele's Pool, pristine watering holes in the midst of a rain forest, were a playground for Leigh and her siblings, and the eventual inspiration for Lake Como in The Glass Table and Shards.

Leigh is a lawyer with three master’s degrees and a career as a senior executive. She is now a full time writer, both of children’s books and adult fiction. Leigh currently lives in Singapore with her husband.

Leigh dedicated The Glass Table to Daniel Morcombe, a thirteen-year-old Australian boy who was abducted while waiting to catch a bus. "There is a subliminal message about abduction in the books that I hope will settle in children's minds and alert them to the danger," says Cunningham.

To find out more about Leigh Cunningham and her books, please visit http://www.leighkcunningham.com.