By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Elana Arnold never knows who is going to show up in her stories. Take Mort, the taxidermied opposum, who surprisingly stuck his nose into her book, “The House that Wasn’t There.”
“I was writing it and all the sudden there was a taxidermied opposum. I said to myself, that’s interesting,” Arnold told an enthralled audience of Bowling Green elementary students and their parents on Wednesday.
Her book, “The House that Wasn’t There,” was selected as the 1BookBG title that all elementary students in the city are reading this spring. The books were given to each family through a partnership with BGSU Libraries and BGSU College of Education.
The novel tells the story of two children, Oak and Alder, who become neighbors immediately at odds when one parent cuts down a tree that is the other child’s only memory of his deceased father. When Oak and Adler discover that they have each adopted kittens that are siblings, they move past conflict into friendship.
With a little magic, the book delves into the topics of self acceptance, grief, loss, adjustment, friendship, family and believing in potential.
The book is a hit with the students who came to hear Arnold speak at BGSU.
“I finished, mostly in one night. I didn’t want to stop,” said Crim fifth grader Brayland Farren. What did Brayland like about the story? “Everything about it,” but especially the teleported cats, he said.
Conneaut third grader Mallory Smith is also a big fan, having read other books by Arnold.
“I really liked it,” Mallory said as she sat swinging her legs while waiting to hear Arnold speak. “I like how there’s some magic involved.”
Mallory opened her copy of the book and showed the message Arnold had just penned with her autograph – “Open every door.”
When Arnold took the stage, she thanked the students for reading her story.
“When I heard there was going to be a whole city reading my book, it made my heart so warm,” she said.
Addressing the children as “my darlings” throughout her talk, Arnold shared her secret formula for writing stories. And she worked to convince all the children that they too have great stories to share.
“This is the secret about ideas. Ideas are everywhere,” she said. “My job as a human being is to be interested in things. My next job is to ask ‘What if?’”
Then she follows wherever that question leads her.
“You go where the story takes you.”
Arnold said she has learned to not talk herself out of big ideas.
“What if I disappoint myself? What if it’s hard?” she said. “If you have an idea that feels overwhelming, instead of saying ‘No,’ try saying, ‘Yes, and …’”
That’s how the teleporting cats showed up in “The House that Wasn’t There.” She asked the children if any had cats that disappear at times. What if those cats weren’t under the couch or in the closet – but had teleported themselves elsewhere?
“Can you prove to me that can’t happen?” she asked the children with a sly grin.
That’s how Mort the taxidermied opposum showed up as well.
“The back of your brain knows things the front of your brain doesn’t know yet,” Arnold said. And it’s important for people to listen to those ideas – or their brains get sad and stop giving those gifts.
“I think of myself as a kid with a butterfly net” for ideas, Arnold said. “I encourage you to bring your invisible butterfly net wherever you go.”
And don’t be afraid to share those stories.
“Human beings are natural storytellers. This is why show and tell is such a hit.”
But she warned that writing is not easy.
“Writing is really hard,” she said, describing it as a “sticky piece of bubble gum stuck in my brain.” Sometimes she envisions herself using knitting needles to get it out, then she quickly added, “never do this.”
She suggested that children build on the things they love. She listed her loves as nature, hidey holes, secret passages, animals, children and houses. Her young audience listed their loves as basketball, wolves, birds, Minecraft, robots, soccer, family and drawing.
Then Arnold spoke directly to the parents in the crowd.
“Try to love those things alongside your child,” she said. “Don’t squash the love of something – you don’t know where it might lead.”
As children share their stories, parents should refrain from making corrections. “That can come later,” Arnold said.
Arnold bonded with the children over animals.
“Raise your hand if you love animals,” she said, sending nearly every little arm shooting overhead.
She shared photos of her dogs, cats, ferret and parrot. When asked, Arnold confessed her very favorite was her little dog, Poppy. “Don’t tell my other animals,” she told the children.
“They give you a chance to be a better person,” she said about animals. “Actually, humans are my favorite animals.”
And she bonded with the children over differences. She talked about the main character in “A Boy Called BAT,” which was a previous 1BookBG title. Like Arnold, BAT loves animals and is neuro-atypical.
“My brain works differently than a lot of people’s brains,” she said.
Arnold’s final piece of advice for every age in the audience was her personal mantra – “Chin up, heart open.”
Maria Simon, children’s librarian at Wood County District Public Library, said it’s wonderful to see the community rally around one book.
“Everybody should read it. There really is something for everyone,” Simon said. “You learn a lot about yourself and what being a good friend is.”
