Leary/Willow Dale Students Meet Author James Howe

What do you get when you cross a rabbit with a vampire? For James Howe, it's the start of a 30-year career as a children's book author. He first came up with the idea of his popular Bunnicula series in the late 1970s, and has since published more than 80 titles ranging from preschool picture books to young adult fiction.

Howe made a special trip to Warminster Tuesday morning to talk to students from Willow Dale and Leary Elementary schools about what it is like to be a writer and also read from his latest story, Brontorina, about a dinosaur that tries to take ballet lessons.

"I like doing the younger books because they can be complete fantasy," said Howe. "I don't need to make real world references to keep them engaged."

Howe has seen his audiences change over the past 30 years, and knows that even though their experiences and influences are significantly different, i.e. broader access to information via technology, they are still fundamentally the same.

"I try to include references to texting and cell phones in my young adult books, to establish that connection," Howe said. "But I still try to explore the experience of the hurried child, those kids that feel like they are being hurried into adulthood."

After reading from his book, he related to the children the process of how a book is written, illustrated and published. He pulled out samples of the manuscripts in the different stages, from just the typed story, to the initial sketches to the final, full color pages that are printed on a giant sheet of paper, which is then cut and processed by the printers.

Howe was invited by Willow Dale and Leary librarians, Joanne Brown and Lauren Zucker, respectively, through a grant from the Centennial Education Fund. They wanted to use the opportunity to get the students together in the same building that they will be sharing permanently come September.

"It's a great way to get them all together and serve an academic purpose," said Michael Donnelly, who has been serving as principal for both schools.

While the construction workers have been working all year long getting the building ready for the 2011-2012 school year, the teachers and administration at Leary and Willow Dale have been carefully preparing the students for next year's merger.

"During the winter," said Donnelly, "we had each of the classes write letters to their counterparts in the other school. We have a strong character-building curriculum and use the same language and vocabulary in each school."

Donnelly recognizes the fears that may exist regarding a rough combination of two schools into one. Students may wish to stick with their friends and maintain an 'us vs. them' mentality the first year. Some of those fears may have been nipped by the selection of the puma as the brand new mascot, royal blue and gold as the new colors and the paw as the new symbol.

Donnelly went through similar challenges while teaching in Central Bucks School District, when three middle schools merged into Tohickon Middle School.

"Kids are resilient," he said. "I think they are going to be more enamored with the new building and happy that the construction is finished. The faculty will be completely dispersed, so it's not one side Willow Dale teachers, the other side Leary. It will be a true amalgamation."