Huntington Beach teacher enlists student’s help for first book

Huntington Beach resident Natalie Elliott has always been someone to embrace a new opportunity.

Elliott, who holds master’s degrees from UCLA and Concordia University, taught for 11 years at an elementary school in Watts, earning a Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year honor in 2016.

She pivoted to Plaza Vista Elementary in Irvine the following year. Then, last year, the Fountain Valley High graduate did something even more interesting.

She moved more than halfway across the country to Iowa.

“I wanted to experience something totally different,” said Elliott, 36, who found a home teaching at Shuler Elementary in Clive, Iowa.

Naomi Davis was in Elliott’s third-grade class last year and showed talent in art. When Elliott decided this spring to write her first children’s book, she asked Naomi, 9, to be her illustrator.

“I was hoping that this would give her an outlet to kind of be more confident and highlight her talents in other ways,” Elliott said. “She was so professional throughout the whole process. We had Zoom meetings every week, and she wanted to make sure all of her illustrations were just perfect and really highlighted the message on each page that I wanted to get across.”

The result of the hard work came to fruition on Oct. 1, when the book, “Peny’s Purse: A True Story of a Determined and Brave Woman,” was released.

The book illustrates the life of Elliott’s aunt, nicknamed “Peny,” who died at age 88 in May. Elliott said she wanted to highlight her aunt’s passion for animals, and how brave and feisty she was. “Peny,” who lived in Long Beach, received her college bachelor’s degree at the age of 80.

“We have to value our seniors more, especially now in the time of a pandemic,” Elliott said. “I really wanted to do something to highlight how special our seniors are, and how much we can still learn from them and appreciate them while they’re still here. It’s a great message to teach children. Just because someone’s a senior doesn’t mean they’re ancient. They still have a lot to offer, and anyone can pursue their dreams no matter what age they’re at.”

Elliott also appreciates Naomi’s contributions to the book. She said half of the proceeds will go toward Naomi’s college fund; the other half will go toward a nonprofit that Elliott wants to launch that would put together portable libraries for low-income students.

“It was really fun,” Naomi said of illustrating the book. “At first, I thought it was just for the classroom. I didn’t know it was actually going to get published and stuff. I was really happy.”

Elliott has pivoted once more in 2020. She said she moved back home to Huntington Beach to be closer to family; this fall she is teaching her students in Iowa virtually online. Elliott, who also holds an administrative credential, said she hopes to land an assistant principal job in Orange County next school year.

For now, she is promoting her new book. She and Naomi participated in the virtual Orange County Children’s Book Festival last month.

“I knew I’d always wanted to write a children’s book,” Elliott said. “It was always in the back of my head, and 2020 is the year of everything new.”

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.