Keene Central School student Brody poses with his illustration. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Ever wonder what it takes to write a successful children’s book? For Kate Messner, spending 14 years as a Plattsburgh public school teacher and being a mom helps, as she did before successfully pitching a publisher about what happens above or below the snow.

On Tuesday, June 6, the Keene Central School auditorium was packed with students eager to learn how Messner became a writer and pitched her ideas for future books, and experience how to illustrate a story.

Messner understands how kids think, what they want to know, and at what age. As an example, seeing a hole in the snow made her wonder what was down there and how it differed from what was on top of the snow. That curiosity led her to pitch a publisher on what lives above and below the snow. Hard was getting the language and the phasing of her book right so it would capture kids’ imagination and sense of wonder. Key was helping kids imagine themselves small enough to meet the critters and explore their tunnels to find where they hung out, slept, and foraged for food.

The publisher, now in hand, assigned an editor and recommend an illustrator who could make visual what Messner imagined. Fortunately, she and the illustrator Christopher Silas Neal hit it off, and with their book receiving rave reviews, they soon came up with ideas for more “Over and Under” books that racked up many awards.

Messner didn’t focus on just that series; she quickly started creating books for different-aged kids, most set within a themed series. She told the students she always carried a notebook so she could jot down ideas and themes for future books and locations. Messner found it helpful to travel to different places where she wanted to set her story taking lots of photos that she could pass on to her illustrator.

Kate Messner at Keene Central School (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Inspired by an idea shared by The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid with the KCS art teacher, kids in the younger grades selected a quote from one of Messner’s books. The quotes were then randomly given to students in grades 6 through 9 who were tasked with illustrating them. The older students had no idea who selected the quotes, and the younger kids had no idea which student would illustrate them. The results of their collaborations were unveiled following a lively Q&A with Messner.

Behind Messner, a large array of folding screens filled with artwork aligned with a quote. After Messner finished, the kids, brought down by class, fanned out to find their quote and see how it and their classmates’ quotes were illustrated. The older students soon followed, enabling kids to meet their illustrator.

“Just seeing the looks on the kids’ faces as they saw the artwork was exciting,” said KCS K-12 art teacher Stacey Van Campen. “They had no idea which student had received their descriptive sentence, and they had no idea what to expect, so when they saw the artwork, they might say, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize it was about a sunset’ and, ‘So and so painted the most beautiful sunset.’ Or, ‘I talked about millions of mangos, and they drew so many!’ For them, seeing the sentences actualized was exciting. The older kids were also surprised and delighted to see the response of the younger students to their art. They were equally thrilled by the reactions, as it too was unexpected.”

Keene Central is a tiny district. Unlike more prominent schools in the region, everybody is in one building, and there is a lot of interaction between the classes, grades and kids of different ages. Younger kids look up to the older students. More than the excitement of seeing their sentences illustrated, the books brought in the English language arts (ELA) sciences and social studies, expanded kids’ awareness of nature and the variety of creatures living in it, and fostered their creativity and enjoyment of making art.

“Bringing Kate Messner was an inspiration,” said kindergarten teacher Kathleen Morse. “The children loved to hear about her sparks of creativity. Kate continues to embody curiosity and wonder, which are natural qualities of kindergarten and early childhood and essential to her writing process. The question-and-answer session was lively, with many children eager to share their thoughts and know more.”

“I thought it was a great collaborative project,” said Melissa LaVallee, KCS reading specialist. “We involved K-9 students in art and writing; we did mindset group, which works on enhancing emotional-social skills by taking kids to another world that Kate articulated through her books, and where the kids wanted to be through using their imaginations, especially important after COVID. We are grateful to the High Peaks Foundation for sponsoring Kate Messner.”

The older students said that they worked hard to develop the illustrations; it often took several sketches before they came up with the image that they then put to paint. One student, Brody, said he drew upon aspects of nature he’s seen around Keene as the quote he received mentioned fields and a flowing river.

The student whose work another illustrated said, “I think it came out pretty good. It might have been a bit stronger if he had outlined some of the parts with a black Sharpie, but I am pleased with what he did. But when I first saw it, I thought, wow! It had so much detail.”

“I like her book ‘The Seventh Wish,'” said fifth-grader Avery. “I think it fits my age. I like how she got wishes and wishes read to her.

Messner was as delighted to see the results as the kids and their teachers.

“The whole auditorium is full of student art inspired by books like ‘Over and Under the Snow,’ ‘Over and Under a Pond,’ and ‘Once Upon a Book,'” said Messner. “It’s so cool to see what the kids bring to the stories through their artistic interpretation. During the Q&A, kids always want to know how I started as a writer, how a book is made or what inspired me. They have questions about their favorite books, but some kids love a series. When they do, they feel ownership of the series and say, ‘You need to write this or that one.’ At times, they give me a great idea, and I follow through, and a few months later, a kid will write thanking me for writing the book they asked for.”

School officials and teachers were thrilled by the results.

“This is project-based learning at its finest because it was a collaborative effort among all of us,” said Van Campen.

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley. He has been covering events for the Lake Placid News for more than 15 years.)