What do you do when you have an idea, a purpose, and a flair for writing? Mr. John Norris, an instructional aid in the Special Ed Department and JV girls’ soccer coach, recently wrote a book titled, “What’s Your Favorite Dinosaur.” A lighthearted and wholesome read, this children’s story aims to inform the reader about dinosaurs through commentary from an archeologist. To add to the uplifting mood, Norris dedicated the book to his nephews, as it is based on a song he made with them.
The creation process of the book took about four to five months. First, he story boarded the pages by taking lyrics from the song and changing them to fit a story scenario. In need of an illustrator, Norris posted flyers on bulletin boards in LM asking for help. John Patrick, a recent graduate, reached out to him very quickly. Patrick loves to draw and now studies graphic design at Saint Joseph’s University. When Norris saw some of Patrick’s work, he did not hesitate to take him for the job. The duo met up in the library, where Norris described his plan and Patrick started his drawings. Patrick and Norris communicated mainly through email, where they had a consistent dynamic going that helped get everything done in a timely manner. Every day, Patrick would draw a page or two and get feedback from Norris. He worked very hard to develop Norris’ vision and was very cooperative with any problems that came along the way, like adjusting the size of his illustrations to fit what the publishers needed. Patrick even decided to devote his senior project to the book. Patrick got full credit for all of the illustrations, and his name was included on the cover. In the back of the book, a biography page highlights both Patrick and Norris’ lives.
Although Norris’ target audience for the book itself was not highschoolers, he hopes it will have an effect on the students here at LM. He wants to inspire students to pursue their dreams and create something if they have an idea. Norris wants artists – who haven’t put their work out there – to display their talents and he hopes writers will see this as an enjoyable and achievable activity. Norris preaches, “A student like you did this, you can do it too.” Like dinosaurs, Norris and Patrick are leaving a big footprint here at LM that should not go unnoticed.
