This Vacation Was a Monster!

Grandmas Are Always Thinking

I brought some blank books, like the ones I used with my elementary school students, and some colored pencils, on a weeklong family Thanksgiving trip to Florida. After a few days of nonstop ocean and pool fun, I asked my 6-year-old grandson, Joah, if he’d like to make a book. He asked to see the books I brought for him and said, “I already have an idea, but I don’t know how to write it.” I replied, “No problem!” From then on, whenever he wasn’t swimming, he couldn’t wait to continue working on his Book of Monsters. He drew elaborately detailed pictures and then narrated as I wrote the text. He included facts about each monster and then described how his main characters, Jack and Emily, defeated them.

"I'm An Author!"

His thrill of discovering he was an author excited me. One morning he and I were walking the beach, discovering the gifts the ocean had brought overnight. He stopped two women and declared, “I’m an author.” They engaged him and asked about his book; they told him they would love to buy a copy when it was published. Joah was absolutely beaming. It was the dearest thing ever.

The Story Continues

We finished seven monsters before our vacation ended, and I was hopeful Joah would want to continue. Two days later I FaceTimed with Joah and Kyle (my son and Joah’s Dad), and he showed me six more monsters he had created. He has shared his work with more family and his two best friends, and they can’t wait to see more. The seeds have been planted, and in the end that’s all grandparents can do. We are not responsible for the timing of the blossoming.

- Sara Tisdel is a recently retired teacher with BAs in both elementary education and art education, and an MS in outdoor education. After almost 40 years teaching preschool, third grade, and elementary/middle school art, she now enjoys her best gig yet... Gramma to Joah, age 6 and Radha, 20 months.

RESOURCE FOR BLANK BOOKS:

www.BareBooks.com is a grand and budget-friendly (the books Sara used are just $1.95 each!) resource for blank books. Bare Books give kids a creative canvas for their writing, and become a cherished keepsake for parents and grandparents! Bare Game Boards, Bare Puzzles, Bare Calendars, Bare Board Books, stickers and erasable crayons all offer a fun twist on learning and provide the resources for a truly memorable project. You might even find yourself creating a few! Think about whether you want the book bound portrait (vertical) or landscape (horizontal) when you order, or maybe try some of each!

Joah narrating his story to Gramma as he drew.

Joah acting out his characters on the beach.

Joah noodling monster details in the sand.

Becoming an author, Part One.

www.BareBooks.com blank books & puzzles