Author gives shape to reading program at Middletown Library

MIDDLETOWN  More than a dozen local children learned about six curious chickens and the strength of a group of worms during a reading and drawing event featuring an author from Savannah.

Providing crayons, pencils and piles of paper for the children, the Middletown Public Library held the event with Jose Lucio on Aug. 3.

Born and raised in Kansas, Lucio moved to Savannah, Georgia, in 2007 to attend the Savannah College of Art Design.

He published his first book “Heave Ho” in 2014. He illustrated a second and latest book “Free Rain,” which was written by his friend Daniel Wentzel.

Equipped with a whiteboard, markers and passionate voice, Lucio started the event by reading his first book “Heave Ho” to the children.

“‘Heave Ho’ starts out with the classic situation of the bird grabbing a worm to be its breakfast, but this worm has worm friends that join in to help out and it becomes a tug-of-war match. That’s where the title ‘Heave Ho’ comes in. Every time another worm joins in we all shout, ‘Heave Ho’ to encourage the worm’s teamwork. Although, the bird cries for help too and is joined by a cat and dog. Together the animals overpower the worms and it is up to the last worm to use brain over brawn and resolve the situation,” Lucio said.

Lucio then read “Free Rain” aloud.

“‘Free Rain’ is about a group of six chickens making the transition from life in a cage to roaming about the farm as free-range chickens. They are excited, confused, scared, and at times even a little grumpy, about their new situation, but must eventually band together and head out to see what this ‘free rain’ is all about. Each chicken is a different color and named accordingly,” Lucio said. “They each also have their own unique feelings about what is happening. Blue nervously starts the story, then Yellow takes the lead while Green and Purple offer support and wisdom. Orange and Red are not as happy about the idea of leaving the cages though and hold out for as long as they can stand.”

Once done reading both books, Lucio gave the children a drawing lesson where he showed them how to draw a bird and said, “I am going to teach you the secret on how to draw anything in the whole wide world.” That secret is to draw basic shapes, such as circles, squares and ovals, and keep adding more shapes to whatever you are drawing, he said.

“I’ve been drawing just about my whole life, probably since I was first able to hold a crayon. Early on I learned from my grandmother that drawing had a lot to do with observation. She pointed out that a person wasn’t just a potato shape with sticks coming out the sides, but yet had a head, torso and limbs. Something had clicked in that moment and I was hooked. Now I also teach art lessons at the Scribble Art Studio in Savannah where I work with the little ones all the way up to high school students,” Lucio said.

Teaching the children how to add accessories and unique features to their bird, Lucio walked around the room helping the group with their drawings.

“I really enjoyed the event today. The kids were engaged in the readings and super-excited about the artwork they created. Even during their free-draw time before things started, I could see that we had some really talented artists in the room,” Lucio said.
“In 2016 we started digging back into the ‘Free Rain’ project. We spent a lot of time editing down the story to get it just right, and then I spent a good six to eight months working on the illustrations. Finally, in May 2017, it was ready, so now I’ve been out sharing the story and making art with kids all over the eastern United States. Starting in September I’ll be touring cross-country for two months where I’ll meet Dan in Seattle and the two of us will tour down the West Coast together, making stops at book festivals, libraries, schools and bookstores all along the way.”
By the end of the event, parents got the opportunity to purchase signed copies of both books.
“We love to promote literacy. Additionally, that Mr. Lucio was going to do a live reading with the art lesson made it much more interactive. The kids and their parents really enjoyed it,” said Ellie Strbo, Youth Services manager for the Middletown Public Library.
For more information about the Middletown Public Library’s upcoming events, visit www.mtpl.org.
For more information about Lucio’s books, visit www.joselucio.com.

 

Contact Vashti Harris at [email protected].