Young Authors Display Creative Spirit

The 85 books were made of cardboard covered with wallpaper scraps. They were either stitched, or secured with brass tacks, staples or yarn. Some were handwritten. The longer ones were typed on a computer. All were written by children.

On Saturday, the books were presented at the San Fernando Valley Reading Council’s first Young Authors’ Conference at Millikan Junior High School in Sherman Oaks.

The authors, pupils from 12 Valley public and private schools, wrote and illustrated their books as a class assignment.

“The purpose was to stimulate interest and unleash creativity in children who have never shown it,” said Kathryn Reynolds, a kindergarten teacher at Egremont School in Chatsworth. And that’s exactly what it did.

The young authors were welcomed with four unqualified words: “You are all authors.” Then, one by one, each child got up to read.

Fourth grader Dylann Brander’s “Olivia and the Hot Air Balloon” was about a young, apparently orphaned girl who finds her parents during her travels in the sky. Cindy Huang, a sixth grader, read “Poems From Cindy,” a collection of thoughts about “life, growing and nature.” Kindergartner Christopher Vanger described “The Color Red.”

Author Maria Moreno is a Spanish-speaking fourth grader at Telfair Avenue Elementary School in Pacoima. As she cautiously took her place in front of fellow authors, parents and teachers, she paused, slowly covered her face with her book, and began to cry.

Jan Brownfield, a bilingual teacher from Campbell Hall School in North Hollywood, stepped forward, stood by Maria’s side and read from the young girl’s book. Soon, confident that no one would laugh at her, Maria reached for the book and finished the story, titled “El Leon y el Raton” (“The Lion and the Rat”).

Instilling confidence in each pupil was a major goal of the writing program’s organizers. The Reading Council encouraged teachers to avoid setting rules so that each book was truly the child’s work. Subjects did not have to be approved. Editing was kept to a minimum.

There were no awards for best or biggest book. There were simply happy children, proud of their accomplishments and enthusiastic about reading and writing.

25-Year-Old Council

Teachers who participated in the workshop are members of the Reading Council, a 25-year-old professional organization dedicated to the promotion of good reading skills.

“Children need to learn the rhythm and fun of language,” said Diantha Ain, keynote speaker and children’s author. “And they need . . . confidence to know they are capable of creating anything they want.”

Ain, author of “What Do You Know About Succotash?”, acted out her poems, some of which were set to music. Ain has presented her program to more than 8,000 children.

She believes children are under too much pressure to act grown up. Encouraging them to retain their childlike qualities, Ain led the pupils through a visit to the zoo, where each child pretended to be a different animal.

Before the program began, all 85 books were on display for others to read and enjoy. Kindergartners in Sandy Rowan’s Egremont class wrote books titled “All About Me.”

“My name is Alyson,” one began. “I am five. I wish I was a princess.” Matthew wanted to be baseball a player. Rodel wished he was in the army.

Older pupils were given the freedom to write on any subject, and often chose an adventure theme with themselves as the main character. “Dove and Elizabeth” was written by Diane Bradley, a fourth grader at Campbell Hall. “Dove is a horse and I like horses a lot,” Diane said. “I wrote about Elizabeth because she’s a lot like me.”

Bryan Kim, a second grader at Balboa Gifted/High Ability Magnet wrote “The Magical Racing Car.” Vanessa Van Munster’s book, “Without My Mom,” was about separation anxieties, including her fear that her mother, a flight attendant, might one day die in a plane crash.

“There’s more creativity here than among many adult books,” said Diane Kellogg, a writer and mother of one of the young authors. “In fact, adults could learn a lot by coming here and reading the children’s works. What the kids write about is what they want to read.”

Kellogg’s fifth grade daughter, Elizabeth, wrote “Ms. Weatherby’s Incredibly Fantastic Carpool,” a favorite among the books on display. Inspired by a single Friday that her mother allowed her to skip school, Elizabeth eloquently wrote about an aunt who comes to visit. “Elizabeth was mortified,” it begins. “Her mother’s sister was coming to stay. Ms. Wyoma W. Weatherby. Goodness knows what the ‘W’ stood for. Probably weird.”

The 24-page book goes on to tell how Ms. Weatherby, responsible for the school car pool on Fridays, instead takes the children on side trips to the beach, a museum and the mountains. The school principal catches on soon enough, but not before the main character has a change of heart.

“And in the end,” the book concludes, “Elizabeth decided that the ‘W’ in Ms. Wyoma W. Weatherby didn’t stand for weird at all. It stood for wonderful.”

According to conference organizers Emily Taitz and Maxine Straus, plans are already under way for next year’s conference. Teachers who were members of the council but who had not participated in the program inquired how they could get their students involved next year.

Parent Teri Grossman spoke about the importance of “children learning that books are written by people, and that includes them.”

Kay Staves said reading her book aloud gave daughter Alyson, “a real sense of accomplishment and self-worth.”

It appeared the pupils’ enthusiasm wouldn’t subside once they walked out the door.

At the end of the session, Council President Christine Cairns asked: “How many of you already have your book ideas for next year?” More than half of the children had their hands held high.