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Local author shares story, surprise
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Author James Mallog of Austintown visits with second-graders at Watson Elementary School. Mallog read to the children Monday.
By christine keeling
austintown
A local author shared a story and a surprise with second-graders at Watson Elementary School.
James Mallog, 63, of Austintown visited Robin Krempasky’s classroom Monday to teach his granddaughter, Addie Mallog, and her fellow classmates the process it takes to create a book.
The students’ faces lit up and they said “cool” when the writer announced he had a gift-wrapped print for each of them to give someone special.
“I’m going to give it to my mom,” said Tyrik Tucker, 7. “Because she baby-sits me.”
The print was from one of the pages of Mallog’s yet-to-be published book “Love From Afar,” which he read aloud to students. Krempasky held up the original art for the children to see.
“Anybody can make a book,” Mallog told students.
He showed them the many dummy books he made throughout the process of writing his stories, including one he sent to publishers. He also gave the class blank dummy pages for them to organize the words and the art for stories they create. Krempasky said her class was studying how to do a book from start to finish before Mallog’s visit.
“He showed us the steps,” said Krempasky. “We will incorporate it into writing strategies.”
Second-grader Jacob Corll said he was going to write a story about a football player who is named the Super Bowl’s most- valuable player.
He will use Mallog’s advice and write his story first and then work on the illustrations, he said.
“I liked [Mallog’s] story,” said Chase Monroe, 7. “I like his reading.”
He wants the author to come back to the school and read to them again, he said.
Mallog said he hoped his visit inspired children.
“I’m thinking there might be one student at this young age who wants to be a writer,” said Mallog. “I want to encourage them like my teacher did.”
He said his seventh-grade teacher, Luke Monteforte of Niles, never said a word to him when he read books during class.
“His silence reinforced my desire to read,” said Mallog. “Any other teacher might have snatched the book away.”
This was Mallog’s second visit to the Krempasky’s class. He shared his published book, “The Last Acorn,” with students just before Thanksgiving. Other stories he is working on include “The Highway Hares” and “Embracing Hope: A Holocaust Fable.”