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Author, illustrator inspire students
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Sandra Philpson (left) introduced her dogs Tak and Ollie to the Frank Ohl fourth-graders. Being well-trained dogs, they stood at attention as their owner talked to the students.
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A few lucky students were able to meet the stars of Philpson’s books, dogs Tak (front left) and Ollie. The lucky kids were, from left, Deondre McKeever (front), Tyler Short, Leigha Wycoff, Gloria Hartzell, Alana Bowser, Zachary Wright (back), Austin Dabny, and Rayvin Gorrell.
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Jenny Campbell (left) does the illustration for Philipson’s books. Frank Ohl student Victoria Kennedy introduced herself to Campbell after the show because she wants to be an illustrator when she grows up.
By SARAH FOOR
Author Sandra Philipson and her illustrator Jenny Campbell spend a lot of time with dogs. Particularly, they’re around spaniels Tak and Ollie, the stars of Philipson’s books, the most often.
Nonetheless, Philipson and Campbell were happy to meet the fourth-graders of Frank Ohl Intermediate School on May 19 to talk to the students about the importance of creativity, reading and writing.
Philipson’s books center around her real-life pets and their surprisingly human stories. Her first and most successful book features her now-deceased dog Annie and explored how the pet lost her leg to cancer but found a new life after the incident.
“My books are about more than just dogs,” the author said before her presentation to the Frank Ohl students. “I used to be a teacher myself, so I definitely think about each book as a teaching tool. I include biographies of the real dogs, themed activities and games, vocabulary words and information on dog adoption in every book I write.”
Philipson talked to the fourth-graders about the life stories of her dogs and the importance of investing in an idea.
“I had the idea for my first book in the middle of the night. If that ever happens to you, don’t go back to bed. If you have that story and inspiration right then, go write it all out,” the author shared.
Campbell had the chance to explore the fourth-grader’s ideas during her session, when she drew a character according to the inspiration of a group of students. The final character had a rock-and-roll haircut and tattoos, and wore an armful of bracelets and skinny jeans.
After enjoying the creative session, Philipson had a thought to share with the students.
“Write and draw this summer as much as you can. Don’t worry about creating another universe, work with what you know and what happens in your life, and always strive to be creative,” the author said.