Meeting a Hero and Unlocking the Keys to the Kingdom

On Friday Ellie and I attended the regional literacy teacher's conference, CCIRA. Ellie enjoyed it more than I had expected her to. She went along because she wanted to meet James Howe. He is one of her heroes. Ellie says that Bunnicula is the reason she made the leap from reading pictures books to wanting to tackle chapter books. He was one of the main speakers at the conference. We went to my various sessions, checked out the vendor hall and went to the luncheon. We were a little worried that our plans would fall through as we only got her lunch ticket five minutes before it started.

James Howe was funny, thought-provoking and wonderful. He told us that Bunnicula was really written by his late wife and himself after a late night B-rated Dracula flick. It was a great time for them. It made me sad to think about how he must miss her. He spoke so fondly of her. He confessed that he is Howie, the silly puppy. James had been the younger brother who could never remember the punchline of a joke fast enough. In the summer time he and his brothers would tell their mother so many jokes that she would eventually have to shoo them out to play once her sides hurt from laughting so much. Ellie and I will reread the books, keeping our eyes anew with this information.

After lunch he was signing books. He was so gracious with Ellie. He signed two of her books, told her a story, drew a picture in one book and allowed us to take his photo. Ellie has begun to write her own story, saying she wants to be just like him.

We also enjoyed the stories of Ridley Pearson. He has written many books. The one you might recognize is the recent Peter and the Startcatchers. He wrote it with Dave Barry. We were even more taken by his story, The Kingdom Keepers. It is a mystery story that takes place in the underground and behind the scene world of Disneyworld. Disney has asked him to write the book and allowed him nearly unlimited access for five days. He got to go inside the underground tunnels where goods are transported and people are put in costume. He got to ride the attractions with the lights on and the music off. We simply can't wait to read the book.

He was also great to Ellie and I. He signed our books, answered our questions and told us stories.

One of the greatest things about writing this blog is that it causes me to reflect on what my children and I have done. It helps me see the patterns in our lives that I did not take time to notice before. It helps me to remember how blessed our lives are.

How cool is it to get to meet and visit with one of your heroes?!