Lynn Gibson, clinical assistant professor in the NIU Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations, has co-authored and published a children’s book with her son, Bryn Sheedy Gibson.
“How Elfie the Owl Saved Christmas – A Tiny Hero’s Tale,” the first in a series, teaches young readers how tiny heroes can make a difference.
The story centers around a tiny Elf Owl named Elfie as she embarks on a sudden, but exciting, adventure to help Santa save Christmas. Elife learns that, despite her tiny size, she can achieve mighty things.
Christmas is coming! With more children than usual on this year’s Nice List,
Santa is having trouble delivering presents because Ruldolph has an ear infection
from the Reindeer Games. Meanwhile, a young, Christmas-loving Elf Owl named
Elfie is accidentally whisked away to the North Pole. She bravely volunteers
to help Santa in spite of her size, but can she save Christmas?
Released Feb. 13 by ML Publishing, the book marks the writing debut for the Gibsons.
“Our stories are built on the bond we share, each page a reflection of our love for adventure, laughter and imagination,” Lynn Gibson says. “Writing together as mother and son, we hope to inspire young hearts to dream big and embrace the magic of storytelling.”
Gibson recently answered questions from the College of Education’s Ed News.
When did you decide to write a children’s book?
It was about a year ago that we decided to buckle down and begin making this dream a reality.
Why did you decide to write a children’s book?
We have always been interested in storytelling. Throughout our professional careers in education, we have always wanted to give more back to students and families, and we believe that this is one of the best ways to do it: create timeless stories with memorable characters. It’s part of the Legacy of reading instilled in me by my parents, to whom the first book is dedicated.
Where did the inspiration come from to write this book? How did you and Bryn decide to collaborate? What was it like to work with your son, and what did you learn about him and yourself through the process?
My children gave me a book a couple of years ago about animals of the world. As I was leafing through it, I saw that there really was a tiny owl called an Elf Owl. They’re the size of a juice box and live in the desert. I was telling our kids about it and that it would make a great story to have a tiny owl from the desert end up helping Santa at the North Pole. Our son, Bryn, wanted to write it together.
We enjoy writing together, even through our “creative differences!” I learned that Bryn is incredibly creative as well as top notch in technology and social media. I learned that I love being creative with words and enjoy leaving a legacy of reading for children.
What do you hope parents, grandparents and kids take away from this book?
We hope that kids will take away that it is a good thing to bravely volunteer to help others; even if they are not certain of what to do. We hope that parents will take away that seeing their kids as Tiny Heroes capable of doing great things in their life. We hope that grandparents spend lots of time reading to their grandchildren. And we want them to have a great time reading the book together.
What is the best part of accomplishing this dream of being an author?
Being able to see all of the strings tie together and the book landing in your lap. There is something truly magical that happens during this process of becoming an author. And there’s no place for magic like a children’s book!
What other types of Tiny Heroes are coming in future books?
Our first book has a cliffhanger, and Elfie will solve that mystery with her four best friends (my four grandchildren) and a few new characters in the second book. Book Three will add a few new characters as they help a friend return home. The goal is to continue to show children that, although they are little, they have so much to give to the world!
