The Hobbit, Harry Potter, The Lightning Thief, Encyclopedia Brown and The Boy Who Saved Baseball were only a handful of the children’s book heroes who took center stage at a presentation at Hiland High School March 3. Author Anita Silvey, who penned, Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children’s Book, after an exhaustive 15-month excursion in which she interviewed famous people about their fondest childhood book memories, came to Holmes County to present more than two dozen fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students with their own signed copy of the book.

Silvey was on hand at the assembly at the Perry Reese Community Center, which was packed with hundreds of students who learned the value of reading at a young age, and how it can become instrumental in pursuing their dreams down the road.

Silvey, who was present as part of the Young Authors Series, through a grant obtained by Mt. Hope and Winesburg principal Dan McKey, spoke about a number of famous authors, her favorite books, and her experience interviewing more than 100 influential and successful Americans like Jay Leno, Tiki Barber, Julianne Moore, Steve Forbes, Andrew Wyeth and many more.

“I love books,” said Silvey. “Fortunately I have never had to choose a favorite, because I don’t think I could. I just love reading, and I am glad we have so many incredible books to choose from. Reading just empowers us to go places and see things that we couldn’t ever experience otherwise.”

What Silvey tried to convey to the students was that there are treasures and riches that extend far beyond silver and gold, wealth and success.

“Many of these books create a totally satisfying world of make believe that children can relate to,” said Silvey. “I’ve read thousands of children’s books, and one thing they are capable of is transporting children to a place of excitement and wonder. They are able to make a connection to a book in ways that people sometimes can’t.”

Which lead Silvey to offer this advice to the youth. “If you have a book you love, keep it close to your heart. If you don’t, then I hope you find one that inspires you.”

Speaking for a moment to the adults at the assembly, Silvey told the staff members present one thing that stood out among many during her journey was that while adults may not recognize the author of a book long after they have read it, they almost always recalled the person who had given them a book, or read to them. Therefore, reading to students and introducing them to the joy of reading can be instrumental in their growth.

“Many of you (teachers) who put books in children’s hands, you are becoming part of their best memories,” said Silvey. “Librarians, teachers, parents, years after these people have read these books, they may not remember the author, but the one theme that they remembered was the person who first introduced them to the book.”

Following the presentation there was a question and answer series. Silvey and East Holmes treasurer Marsha Clark presented autographed books to nearly two dozen students from each East Holmes elementary’s fourth, fifth and sixth-grade classrooms. The students were asked to write a book testimony describing their favorite book and why it meant so much to them. All of the entries were then judged by the teachers, who picked out the award-winning paper written in their class, and Silvey presented each winner with a book.

The book testimony winners included (listed by school, with grade, winning student author, title of book and teacher):

Berlin

4A: Sydney Torrence, Spookley the Square, teacher Karen Halfhill

4B: Alex Mast, Curious George, teacher Sarah Hershberger

4C: Michael Shoup, The Boy Who Saved Baseball, teacher Michelle Sauernheimer

5A: Alexis Kaufman, Kirby, the Disgruntled Tree, teacher Heidi Jones

5B: Tricia Raber, The Little Engine That Could, teacher Heidi Jones

5C: Kaleb Miller, A Series of Unfortunate Events, teacher Erica Camacho

6A: Georgia Norman, The Giving Tree, teacher Erica Camacho

6B: Jolene Miller, The Tale of Despereaux, teacher Erica Camacho

Chestnut Ridge

4: Kerri Schlabach, Duck on a Bike, teacher Karen Beechy

5: Lydia Troyer, Boxcar Children, teacher Sheila Shoup

6: Laura Shetler, King of the World, teacher Linda Croup

Flat Ridge

4: John Eric Troyer, teacher Austin Kaufman

Mt. Hope

4: Tim Miller, Encyclopedia Brown, teacher Miriam Kratzer

5: Deborah Weaver, Little Women, teacher Rachel Miller

6: Miriam Troyer, The Sadie Rose Series, teacher Rachel Miller

Walnut Creek

4A: Lakota Mast, A to Z Mysteries, teacher Jack Armstrong

4B: Taryn Schlabach, Geronimo Stilton, teacher Tonya Widder

5: Joey Miller, Frindle, teacher Adri Bryk

6: Jodi Miller, Loser, teacher John Monigold

Winesburg

4: Sarah Kurtz, Because of Winn-Dixie, teacher Keith Troyer

5: Gabriel Strong, The Hobbit, teacher Toby Yoder

6: Jarod Howard, The Mysterious Benedict Society, teacher Jenny Bauer

Wise

5: Brian Raber, Dan Frontier, teacher Judy Mann

6A: Samantha Coblentz, The Last Song, teacher Jill Stutzman

6B: Emily Yoder, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, teacher Jeanne Leach

“After reading your book testimonies, I hope that many of you continue to pursue writing,“ said Silvey to the award-winners, as well as challenging the rest of the student body to write. “Who knows, some day I hope to see your name on the books I read.”

Silvey also spoke about her new website, http://childrensbookalma nac.com, in which she dedicates one new book each day as the Book of the Day. From old classics like Stone Fox, Babar and Flat Stanley, to newer entries like Smile and Spoon, the site is dedicated to serving as a fun way for families to find worthwhile reading material for youth of all ages.

“It’s a way to introduce new books to kids and parents, and it is designed to be very easy to navigate,” said Silvey. “It’s important to get our children to read. It’s amazing how powerful books can be with children.”