By Kim Spinelli, Special Writer
On Tuesday, Brunswick Acres Elementary School welcomed children’s author and illustrator Kevin O’Malley.
”I was a ‘bad’ kid, not ‘mean bad,’ but ‘restless,’” he said as he began an assembly with the students. “In second grade, I was punished by being sent to the most uncooperative place in school, the dreaded library.”
He reluctantly began leafing through children’s picture books and saw what he called “only yuck, yuck, yucky cuteness,” until he came across Maurice Sendak’s classic, “Where the Wild Things Are.”
He said he loved the out-of-the-box illustrations, and his career fate was sealed and he knew that he found his life’s calling.
He said he wanted to draw children’s books, but not those with “typical cute things like unicorns, butterflies and flowers, but books for kids like me.”
In his booming, raspy voice, his enthusiasm for his profession came across loud and clear.
”I have the coolest job,” Mr. O’Malley told the students.
He conducted two interactive, 45-minute presentations, one for second and third graders, and another for fourth and fifth graders.
The students learned about how he began his career and his creative process.
Mr. O’Malley used humor to convey several important points.
”I like that he was funny, because if he just talked about writing, I think that would be a little boring, but he made it really interesting for us kids,” said third grader, Samantha Spinelli.
Mr. O’Malley said he always loved drawing, especially stick figures, and that he didn’t think he was good at it, so he drew in the dark under his bed.
”You don’t get good at anything unless you practice,” he told the students.
Mr. O’Malley told the kids that he makes a point of writing down ideas every day, even if he’s experiencing writer’s block.
He advised them to “do something you love. And I listened to my teachers when they suggested a revision.”
In ninth grade, he sent his first picture book to a publisher. He tried again every year unsuccessfully, even after he graduated from college. Those serial rejections led to his taking a job as a dishwasher.
The crowd roared with laughter as he relayed stories of being a stay-at-home dad to his two sons while attempting numerous times to get his books published. He continued his daily trek to the mailbox until his first book, “Froggy Went A-Courting,” was published in 1992.
”I kept all of those rejection letters, close to 100 in total,” Mr. O’Malley said. “My main message that I wanted to convey was perseverance.”
Mr. O’Malley said that was his favorite book, because it was his first one. He created it sitting on his wife’s new white couch in the living room using 30 colored pencils and a drawing board in his lap, while watching his infant son.
The crowd was in stitches as he told of the mayhem that ensued when his son got to the pencils and later vomited on his precious drawings.
To the audience’s delight, he then told a tale with lots of bathroom humor and accompanying illustrations on an oversized drawing board. It was a twist on the Disney story, Aladdin, with several new, colorful characters, including “Johnny Good-looking, a healthy girl named Ellen with a waist, and Jenni-far, an old lady with a walker who falls in a hole in Aisle 5 at Target while looking for the magic lamp.”
”When you write a story, it’s very important that everything you put in there has a job to do,” Mr. O’Malley said.
Mr. O’Malley, who currently resides in Baltimore, is the first cousin of fifth-grade parent, Ms. Katie (nee O’Malley) Madden.
They spend holidays and a week at the shore together every other year.
”He still draws for my kids, and he was always a comedian,” Mrs. Madden said.
An active member of the Brunswick Acres School PTO, she was able to get Mr. O’Malley in touch with the school’s Media Specialist, Amy Dixon, who arranged to have Mr. O’Malley speak at the assemblies.
Ms. Dixon said that she was grateful to Ms. Madden for initiating the interaction, and that she was pleased with the audience response.
”He’s hysterical,” she said.
She had her students prepare for the assemblies by making welcome posters for Mr. O’Malley, which served as decorations around the school gym. Many had scenes, characters, or quotes from his books. In addition, the bulletin board outside the library was a tribute to one of Mr. O’Malley’s books, “Gimme Cracked Corn & I Will Share.”
During a question-and-answer period, a student asked, “Which do you like better, ‘writing or illustrating?’”
”Right now I like writing because it’s more challenging, and I enjoy a challenge,” Mr. O’Malley said. “Drawing is getting easier for me. The hardest part of writing stories for kids is the ending.”
He said that he has illustrated a few nonfiction books but has never written one.
Mr. O’Malley also illustrates books written by other authors. He said he doesn’t have one favorite author or illustrator, but is inspired by many and especially, by everyday things.
As for his process, he said that it takes him about 30 days, working five hours per day, to illustrate one book.
Before he told the kids to “go home and say one nice thing to your parents,” one student ended the session with a simple, “Can you come back?”
The Brunswick Acres School library has many of Mr. O’Malley’s books for children to enjoy. They also offered the students a chance to order Mr. O’Malley’s books at a steep discount and with a personalized message.
Approximately 50 books were ordered so far, and Ms. Dixon said she can accommodate a few more.
”His most popular book right now is ‘Once Upon A Cool Motorcycle Dude,’” Mrs. Dixon said.
For more information, visit booksbyomalley.com.

