A picture book project brought together 33 third- and fourth-graders from the Syracuse City School District and 19 undergraduate and one graduate illustration students.

The elementary school students penned short stories and essays that Syracuse University illustration students brought to life with their paintbrushes. They then compiled their work into picture books as part of the Say Yes to Education Young Authors Series.

The third- and fourth-grade authors came from three schools — Seymour Dual Language Academy, Delaware Academy and John T. Roberts School — and all participated in the Say Yes After-School Program. They attended and revealed their new books at a book-signing event at Barnes & Noble Bookseller with Mayor Stephanie Miner and County Executive Joanne Mahoney.

The books sell for $10 each, with proceeds going to the Say Yes scholarship fund. Kristi Eck, Say Yes site director at Fraser K-8 School and director of the book project, said the National Grid Foundation donated a two-year $50,000 grant to fund the books. Eck said she hopes the grant will be renewed next year.

The Say Yes book project began in fall 2009 with authors from Fraser and illustrators from SU. This year, the book project was picked up by three other schools. James Ransome, an art illustration assistant professor, provided student artists since the beginning.

He asked students in his ILL 284: ‘Media Arts Techniques’ course to illustrate a story written by the third- and fourth-graders as a class assignment to be completed before the course ended.

When they received their assignments,most of the illustrators were sophomores taking their first course in illustration. Ransome has guided his students in their first-time feat in learning how to interpret the text, choose paints and compose pictures.

The third- and fourth-grade authors began working on their stories as soon as they returned to SU in fall 2010 and finished crafting their stories by November. They then passed it along to the SU illustrators by reading their stories to them on campus.

Carolyn Glavin, a sophomore illustration major, said it is important for the young students to visit a college campus.

‘Some of them can be like, ‘College can be a place for me.’ It doesn’t seem like they’re at a dead end when they leave high school,’ Glavin said.

Students from Seymour wrote short stories centered on a squirrel, the school mascot, in a book titled ‘Seymourofus: Jordan’s Westside Adventures.’ The book is set in the West Side, where the school is located, and also contains a Spanish translation, reflecting the school’s bilingual curriculum.

Students from Roberts K-8 School interviewed classmates to explore common fears — such as the fear of spiders, snakes and scary movies — that became essays compiled into a book titled ‘Kid Fears.’

Students from Delaware Elementary School wrote fables compiled in a book called ‘Peace,’ which is based on their school code.

Natalya Linina, a sophomore illustration major, illustrated an essay written by Roberts third-grader Jordyn Eudell. The essay, titled ‘Fear of Scary Movies,’ was about ways to watch a scary movie without being scared. Linina painted a fearful-looking girl, who resembled Eudell, clutching a cushion next to a teddy bear shielding its eyes as a female zombie climbs out of the television screen.

Linina said she wanted to include Eudell in her painting,so she visited Eudell at school and asked her to pose and look scared to model for the illustration.

‘I want her to be able to show her friends and her relatives that it’s her story, and point to the story and be like, ‘That’s me,” she said.

Megan Steinberg, a Say Yes volunteer, said it is important for college students to reach out to the third- and fourth-graders.

‘They were star-struck that they were talking to college kids,’ said Steinberg, a sophomore illustration major. ‘It is especially important to hear that older kids care about you.’

Eck said she wanted the third- and fourth-graders to visit SU’s campus and to see how the books were printed, so she took them to the publisher.

It is important to show the paths those children can take in the future, said Rachael Gazdick, executive director of Say Yes.

‘You are really showing the kids who they can become,’ she said.

Some illustration students visited the third- and fourth-graders after school to get to know their author better. Catherine Hampton, a sophomore illustration major, created a digital illustration of a girl, modeled after author Hannah Tobin being chased down by the police.

‘I had to try and get that feeling of when you’re scared because you’ve done something bad,’ Hampton said.

After taking pictures, Hampton brought Tobin to have fun in the playground after being cooped up in school all day.

Camryn Cartwright, a student at Seymour, said she liked that all the stories were set on the West Side with their mascot as the main character.

Cartwright said she likes the illustrations in particular. She said: ‘I draw all the time, and I can’t draw like this.’

jtcheng@syr.edu

Published on April 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm