- “Like a Turtle Loves His Shell” by Peggy Patterson Williams and Jaidyn Brink was released on November 2.
- The children’s storybook is about a family reassuring an insecure boy how much they love him.
- Williams called Coshocton High School to find someone to draw her book and was put in touch with Brink.
- Williams is working on a sequel, which she hopes Brink can also draw. Brink wants to study illustration at university.
COSHOCTON – Peggy Patterson Williams and Jaidyn Brink come from different worlds and are far apart in age, but both understand the universal themes of love and family.
“Like a Turtle Loves His Shell” written by Williams with art by Brink was released on November 2.
It is the story of an insecure little boy who asks his family members if they love him even though he is not the best brother, son and grandson he could be. . The boy’s family reassures him with metaphors, saying they love him like a turtle loves its shell or coffee loves its cup.
“You hear kids say, ‘Mom, do you love me’ or I’ve heard kids say, ‘I don’t think my sister loves me or my sister is mad at me, or at my brother . That’s where the concept came from,” Williams said. “They reassure him how much they love him regardless. He’s not perfect, but they still love him.”
Williams, of Coshocton, has written poems and short stories, but this is her first published work. A few years ago, she contacted John Miller, art teacher at Coshocton High School, about a student to put pictures with her words. Fresh out of freshman year, Miller knew Brink would be perfect.
Williams and Brink met, discussed the project, and Brink reviewed the manuscript. She did some test drawings and went from there.
“When I was illustrating this book, lots of sibling interaction, I could relate to myself,” said Brink, who has a younger sister and an older brother. “I hope people will learn from this book that people who truly love them, no matter what you do, love them unconditionally.”
Williams said the biggest problem was getting someone else to draw her work, but she trusted Brink, who said Williams’ only request was for a warm and warm color palette. respondent. Other than that, Brink had creative freedom.
Brink, now aged, painted a mural over the summer on an exterior wall of Rust Décor and she’s finishing another mural for Dean’s Jewelry. Brink has been accepted to four art schools with scholarships, and she’s specific about where she wants to go. His project is to study illustration.
Proceeds from the book will go to help Williams’ granddaughter Layla with her therapy or medical needs. The 5-year-old child who lives in California suffers from a chromosomal anomaly.
“She didn’t learn to sit until she was 4 years old. It was like a gift from above, because we didn’t know if she would walk, talk or do anything,” said Williams. “Now that’s a joy. She just lights up a room. She laughs and claps.”
“As a turtle loves its shell” is available on Amazon for $14.99 in paperback. Williams is working on a sequel with the boy telling his family how he loves them. Williams hopes Brink can return as an illustrator.
llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com
@llhayhurst
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