By Marie Pfeifer
Writing a book can be fun!
Third-graders at Morristown’s Alexander Hamilton School learned the skinny this month from Jeff Campbell, author of Daisy to the Rescue: True Stories of Daring Dogs, Paramedic Parrots and Other Animal Heroes.
The fun is writing about a subject that excites you — that’s when the work becomes a passion, Campbell said. His book is a collection of stories about a wide range of species and different types of non-human heroism.
Campbell leads the Crunchy Bug Writing Club, an after-school program for aspiring writers in grades 3-5 at the school.
“The club is all about having fun with words and being as creative as possible,” he said. Each session ends with a published magazine of student work.
Photos by Marie Pfeifer
In his talk, Campbell also explained the arduous research that goes into a non-fiction book. He said he read as many as 25 books about the science of animal intelligence, a subject getting lots of press lately.
Campbell also teaches grade school students through the Writers Circle, a creative writing organization. A book editor for 25 years and freelance writer whose works include several volumes of Lonely Planet, Campbell spoke from experience about the publishing industry.
After the lecture, several aspiring writers, videographers and actors showcased their talents with presentations that won them a place at the table for the author’s luncheon. Their stories were based upon Campbell’s Daisy to the Rescue.
Jillian Cain and Natalie Rosenthal’s video is a parody based on Ningnong the Elephant…Runs from a Tsunami:
Yvonne Tsien and Skylar Mihalik’s video is a parody based on Barry Der Menschenretter…Saves Travelers in the Swiss Alps:
Rachel VanSciver’s digital story was inspired by Roselle the Guide Dog …Leads the Way Out:
Campbell is married to Deanna Quinones, manager of the Short Stories Community Book Hub in Madison. They have two children, Jackson, 14, a student at Frelinghuysen Middle School, and Miranda, 10, a 4th grader at Alexander Hamilton.
