By Sara Brown
What's Up Contributor
—
Many dream about traveling across the country. Former Andover resident K.S "Kat" Brooks packed that love for traveling and stowed it in her new children's book, "Postcards from Mr. Pish."
The book follows a Jack Russell terrier, Mr. Pish, as he travels from the Atlantic Coast all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The dog writes about his traveling adventures through postcards with color photos sent to the reader from U.S. states and Canadian provinces. "From historic fishing villages to city lights to the tops of mountains and beyond, Mr. Pish shares his experiences in a fun and full-color way so children can learn about this great land," Brooks' website says.
The idea for the book was sparked during a conversation Brooks had with her best friend from Andover High School.
"I was traveling across country and my friend said I should write a book about my feelings for traveling across country," said Brooks. "That felt too serious for me." Brooks decided to make the book more playful and fun. "I felt like a kid going across country, so why not bring that kind of joy to kids?" she said.
Once home from the trek across the country, it took Brooks about a month to write the book. "Children's books just come naturally for me," Brooks said, but she does admit that trying to figure out what to put in the book from her road trip adventure was challenging at first.
"I had to think about what would be most interesting to kids," she said.
Editing it took a great deal longer, about a year.
"I would send it to people who were experts in the field and ask for their input," Brooks said. One of those people was a teacher from Methuen who uses Brook's first children's book, "The Mighty Oak and Me," in the classroom.
"I would ask, 'Is this something you would use in your classroom and if not, why?'" Brooks said.
Another person Brooks asked suggestions from was her mother. "I was delightfully surprised at how open and willing Kat was to listen to anything I had to say," Stephanie Brooks said. "She also wanted my perspective as a grandparent - I always read to my kids and grandkids - for instance, asking me if there was perhaps too much information on a page for a child to digest. She wanted to know if the photos were kid-friendly, and if the book was just plain fun enough."
Kat Brooks grew up in Andover and graduated in the same class as actor Michael Chiklis from Andover High School. "I was lucky that I was surrounded by a creative class," she said. "Andover had a really great family atmosphere. It felt like everyone was looking out for me. I probably didn't appreciate it then because I was a teenager, but it was a nice feeling.
"I had teachers that really encouraged my writing," Brooks said.
One of those teachers advised Brooks to "write, write, write," and she recently titled her blog that in tribute of that teacher.
"We originally moved to Andover because the schools were the best in the country. West Elementary School did not disappoint us. Kat had a brilliant mind even as a child and she was allowed and encouraged to excel as an individual at West," Stephanie Brooks said. "I watched her creative side grow in Andover, too. It is a great place for a nature-loving aspiring writer."
The author currently lives in Washington with her partner, David.
"There's something about it here that is inspiring to write," Brooks said.
Since first grade, Brooks has always known she wanted to be a writer. "It's adventure for me," Brooks said.
"When it comes to my children's books, it's fantastic to see kids get excited to learn," Brooks said. "To know I had a hand in that is rewarding."
When Brooks isn't working on children's books, she is working on her fiction writing.
"My fiction writing has developed into something where the story starts to tell itself," Brooks said. "I'm as entertained as I hope my readers would be. It's been a wild ride."
Brooks advises young writers to write as much as they can, build their resume and make connections.
The author plans on making "Postcards from Mr. Pish" into a series and hopes to take on 20 different subjects. A "hot button" issue for Brooks is children being easily distracted by all the technology devices society has to offer.
"I want Mr. Pish to become a 'spokesdog' for outside learning," Brooks said. "I feel that children are losing the value to what's outside their doors."
Brooks encourages parents to read to their children. "Find children's books that inspire kids to get outside and learn. Even if you only read five pages a night, it doesn't take a lot of time to do," she said.
Sara Brown is an Andover resident and college student.
