THOMASVILLE- Author and former teacher Mary Matteson has spent her life educating and caring for others. Some might even call her their guardian angel. So, it was no surprise when Matteson penned her recent children’s tale, “What do Angels Do?”

Published by Christian Faith Publishing and illustrated by Fran Buie, the fantastical story helps youngsters understand the role of guardian angels, and how they are always by their assigned child’s side.

Matteson said she was prompted to write the story when she realized that children didn’t have anything solid to hold onto.

“The angel that brings you to your mom and dad is the same angel that is your guardian angel for life,” she said. “The theme is carried throughout the book.”

Matteson explained the guardian angel is there when a child falls and hurts themself, but they are also there when life lessons come into play.

“Your guardian angel is there at birthday parties, helping you understand that you need to invite most of your friends and not use it as a weapon against children you don’t like,” she said.

Angels also help better understand the idioms of life.

To begin the story, the angels are working hard, sewing on the dawn, because “dawn is breaking.”

“They have to sew it back together, so it won’t collapse and children can see a beautiful sunrise,” Matteson said.

The angels also help during “nightfall.”

“The night doesn’t really fall, but the angels are there with their great big net, keeping the night from crashing to the earth and not having a beautiful sunset,” she shared.

Creating this magical view of the sky and the hard work of angels has been a huge hit for Matteson, who now has her book in Books-a-Million, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and on Amazon.

“My daughters love it, and everyone I’ve shared it with loves it so far,” she said.

Matteson even had the privilege of sharing her story with a child she met while dining at The Scoop.

“This sweet little boy opened the door for me,” she said. “His dad was there and he had two little sisters with him, so later I decided he needed the book and I went and gave it to him and I almost cried, because now he can have his own guardian angel.”

Matteson said the experience reminded her of her son when he was young.

“His guardian angel was his grandfather, and now this little boy can tell his parents who his guardian angel is when they read it to him,” she said.

Parents also find the book to be a great incentive for kids, as the story explains whenever kids do tasks to help their parents, such as walk the dog or do the dishes, their guardian angel gives them a star in Heaven.

Matteson went on to explain that whenever a guardian angel sees their child is scared of the dark, they bring back one of those earned stars to help provide a night light for the child.

With such positive feedback from children and parents alike, Matteson has already begun work on her second children’s story, “Backyard Tales,” which introduces children to the natural world.

“It tells about the value each of the animals has,” she said. “Believe it or not, a skunk has tremendous value because it eats all kinds of insects.”

Matteson also referenced the topic of deer and not only the food they provide, but how they originally forged the path for America’s ancestors.

“They were the first ones to show people where to go,” Matteson explained.

These are only two of the animals children can read about in the upcoming story, which is currently undergoing edits with Christian Faith Publishing.