Students receive a comedic lesson about books from author
By: Jessica Demetriou
WEST WINDSOR Fourth- and fifth-graders at Millstone River School were given a comedic lesson about books on Friday from a well-known children’s author.
Bruce Coville, mostly noted for his work with fantasy and science fiction books, visited the school and showed the students how much fun reading can be and how they can benefit from putting "good stuff" in their heads.
"I call what I do with the school pedagogical stand-up comedy," he said. When starting a new book, Mr. Coville said he sets out to "tell a cracking good story." During the assembly, he gave a dramatic presentation about books and how they develop in a writer’s mind. He explained how his own book "The Monster’s Ring" came about and how it evolved during the revision process.
"By asking questions and inventing scenes that answer them, you invent a story," he said. "Writing is in many ways the art of choosing details."
Between Mr. Coville’s rapid storytelling, hands flying in every direction, and re-enactment of his own characters, the students were on edge, waiting for the next surprise.
"My theory is that if the children don’t know when the next joke is coming, then they’re paying close attention all the way through, so they don’t miss the next joke," Mr. Coville said later, of his presentation.
Mr. Coville uses otherworldly things such as monsters, magic, and unicorns to appeal to the students’ imaginations and get them to think about important life lessons.
"If you create compelling characters that children find admirable, then they will model themselves after those characters," Mr. Coville said. "By having the character face moral decisions and behave in a good and honorable way, those things come across."
Mr. Coville told the students that he was a fourth-grade teacher himself at one time, but it was always his dream to write books for young readers. He told them that when they dream at night, one part of their brain tells a story to the other part, making every one of them storytellers.
"Your brain is like a giant sponge full of experiences," he said. "If you put garbage in, you’ll get garbage out."
The author gave them an acronym he likes to use "GSIGSO," which means "Good Stuff In, Good Stuff Out."
He explained that by doing things like reading and having life experiences, they would be able to use what they’ve learned later in life.
"I try to teach the kids a lot about the importance of putting good material in your head instead of vegging in front of the TV all night," he said.
By using humor, Mr. Coville said that he felt he could reach the students better, wrapping the presentation in a "blanket of humor."
"Fantasy is a great way to talk about big ideas like truth, honor, and justice," Mr. Coville said. "These are ideas that in our cynical culture are sometimes hard to talk about in really straight-forward ways."
He said that in his science-fiction books, he uses imaginary creatures to help the children experience an outsider’s viewpoint of the world we’re living in.
"I sometimes like to write about aliens because they come from the outside and they look at us and say, ‘Why do you guys act like that?’" he said.
Constance Beadle, the library media specialist at Millstone River, said that Mr. Coville’s presentation was the best she’s experienced in the 17 years she has seen visiting authors come to the school.
"Bringing a visiting author to the school is expensive, but it’s a really special day that all the children look forward to," Ms. Beadle said.
She said she likes that the children do not just get the enjoyment of fantasy out of Mr. Coville’s books, but they also get a lot of humor.
"They got a lot of laughter, which I’ve learned is very important to children at this age," she said.
Ms. Beadle noted that she chose her career surrounding herself by books, so that she could share her love of them with children and help the kids expand their imagination.
"Usually after an author visits we have a lot of students who want to become writers or want to write, so that’s exciting," Ms. Beadle said.
Fourth-grader Gabby Portilla said that once she read Mr. Coville’s book "The Monster’s Ring," she thought that he must be "amazing."
"Every time we finished a chapter in class, we kept wanting to read more," she said.
She explained that she learned that a story can develop from everyday things and she might now try to write a story about the people in her own life.
"It was amazing how he brought his own life into fantasy," Gabby said. "I think he really understands himself and knows his place as a writer."
When Mr. Coville isn’t writing, he spends most of his time visiting schools and producing audio books through his own publishing company.
"Nothing is better than having a dream come true," Mr. Coville said.