Kids’ moral lesson

Award-winning children’s author makes children into authors
10/24/2007
By Meadow Rue Merrill, Times Record Contributor

BRUNSWICK — Folks who write books — or struggle to — often wrestle over such complexities as plot, character and climax for beleaguering months or years before having anything to show for it. On Tuesday, Jordan Acres second- and third-graders got the basics down in 10 minutes flat with a little help from National Book Award finalist and Newberry Honor-winning author Jack Gantos.

Gantos, who lives with his wife and fifth-grade daughter in Boston, spent the day at the bustling elementary school to teach and inspire a new generation of writers. The lunch tables were rolled away. The chairs were lined up. And the cafeteria was packed during the afternoon presentation — the author’s third of the day — as he led his fidgety charges through the basics of writing a 16-page picture book.

Kids raised their hands, poked each other and twisted in their seats as Gantos asked questions and jotted down answers while patiently showing them how to develop a story

.”What’s a game you can play at a fair?” Gantos asked after students helped him draft the start of a story in which Gantos’ famous cat character Rotten Ralph competes for prizes at a fair. “Yes?”

He pointed to a girl, middle section on the left.

“Ummm …” A pause. “I just forgot.”

Gantos, wearing trademark tortoise-shell glasses and a black suit, pointed to a boy, front right.

“Uhhh … baseball?”

“Throwing baseballs at bottles?” Gantos asked. “Yes! What’s another game?”

Before long, the students had crafted a story in which Gantos’ unnaturally naughty cat had won a stuffed bunny, trophy and turtle before being caught cheating. In the end, he played a game of chess — by the rules — and lost.”

But he didn’t cheat,” Gantos said, loaning the kids a moral lesson at the end of the story. “And that’s better than winning.”

Coming from someone who has won a lot, the message carried a little more might. Gantos’ books, from picture to middle-grade to young adult and adult have won attention from just about every major association, review and journal out there. His characters range from Ralph, his quasi-crazed cat, to an equally crazed boy named Joey Pigza, who struggles with ADHD.

Here is the full story.