We wanted our story to be unique and inspiring. That was the initial thought when we were assigned the task of writing and illustrating a children’s book in pairs as a history project. However, the story had to cover a specific topic; ours being the battles on Iwo Jima that led up to the famous Flag-Raising photograph that we all know so well.
It was a daunting task for both my partner (the author) and I (the illustrator). How could we adapt such horrific events to be suitable for children? We started off by both creating a character. Mine was a young man named Chris who was an actual solider on the island, while my partner’s was a little boy who’s grandfather had fought and then gifted him with his military pack. Both characters had the makings of a good story, so we resolved to combine them.
The story centered around the little boy, Mountain, who carried around this backpack, all the while imagining himself in his grandfather’s place. We tied in the grandfather, Chris, through flashbacks and a clever method of illustration.
Work progressed rather well, but something still seemed off. It wasn’t the great inspirational piece we wanted it to be. And then it kinda hit me, of all the millions of children’s books, only a small percentage are written for kids with special needs. The percentage of books where a kid with Down Syndrome or Autism is the hero of the story, is even smaller. In my mind, this was a problem that needed to be addressed… now.
My partner agreed and we set about adjusting the story. The story now followed a little boy with Autism who wants to be a hero, like his grandfather on Iwo Jima, but thinks that kids like him can’t do great things. This is another issue in the world. Kids with special needs are often made to feel stupid or less-important because they operate differently. We wanted a story that would change that.
As the story progresses, Mountain saves his friend who is also autistic from being bullied, becoming the hero that he always wanted to be. Simultaneously, flash back to Iwo Jima, where Chris takes a bullet for his friend then scales Mt. Suribachi for the flag raising. We connected the two through the backpack, which Mountain shows for show and tell, explaining to his class that heroes are not just the tall, strong ones. That anyone can be a hero because courage comes from within.
The story complete, I still had to figure out how to illustrate such heavy material in a kid-friendly way. I wanted to present Mountain’s condition in a way that does not cast him in a negative light. Many children with special needs are made to seem inferior, however few people recognize that these children also have many talents and strengths- making them, by no means inferior. For example: Children with autism are often known for their intense imaginations and ability to see things in a different light. They also tend to have extensive knowledge about a particular subject, in Mountain’s case, World War II.
I decided to do illustrations with Mountain and his dreams in color, showing the vivid way in which he sees the world. The other illustrations, (in black and white pen) help set the tone for the war as well as help to distinguish dream from reality. The other children are in black and white, not because they are less important. Rather, they are set apart because they are unable to see past his condition.
As a final touch, we typed all the text on my trusty, pink 1950’s era typewriter. It completed the story by giving it a vintage feel, again tying it back to an older time. Of course, that had us on pins and needles trying not to mess up.
(The real struggle was lugging it around all day!)
The project all in all took many long hours of writing, editing, brainstorming, and drawing, but the process was rewarding and we were very happy with the result. Now all that remains is to await our grade…
Another Student's Art Blog 
This was a great piece Emma. You certainly have the writing ability that is popular
in your DNA. The artwork is wonderful as usual. Grammy and Papa
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