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Fred Levine lives in Montreal, but spent much of his childhood in the Laurentians. He has fond recollections of cherished family time.
When Fred was young,
he enjoyed writing, drawing and “cartooning.” When school was on strike, he
initiated a stationery company and created unique memo pads.
Raised in
Beaconsfield, Fred’s family later moved to Westmount. He attended Brandeis
University and graduated Cum Laude in psychology, with a minor in philosophy. He
moved to Toronto, met his wife and pursued a career in advertising. His family
began with daughter Jordyn, followed by triplets Jaimee, Jesse and Justin. Family
life was hectic. They lived in Toronto
for 20 years.
As time passed, Fred
realized he still enjoyed writing and thought it would be fun to write a book
about his triplets, but had no intention of illustrating it.
Tragically, life for
Fred and family turned upside down when he suffered a seizure and was diagnosed
with anaplastic astrocytoma, a rare
cancerous brain tumor. Fred was forced to endure difficult treatments and was susceptible
to seizures which he still experiences today.
Unable to work, Fred focused
his energy on completing his children’s book and decided to illustrate it which
provided a welcome form of “therapy.”
Fred Levine’s first book, Triple Trouble: One Good Deed Deserves Another was published in
2013. In 2015, Fred published another book Triple
Play about his family being part of a baseball team. Both are “feel-good”
children’s books for ages 6-12. The books
include poems with humorous cartoons; pay-it-forward life lessons of “being
there for each other”.
Fred donates all
proceeds from these books ($25), to the Gerry and Nancy Pencer Brain Trust. Fred
says cancer was never his first choice, but he wanted to use it to create an
optimistic outcome.
Fred’s message: “Remain optimistic, live your life and do
what you want to do. Remember a very important life lesson - one good deed
deserves another.”
If you are seeking a uniquely
illustrated children’s book, and want to share Fred’s message of kindness,
order via www.tripletroublebooks.com .
