For five years, Hawthorne Elementary instructional aide Rey Phillips was sitting on drafts of children’s stories he had envisioned for a book series.
At the start of the pandemic, he returned to his stories, working with editors and finding an illustrator to bring his characters to life.
Last month, Phillips self-published the first of his 10-book series on Amazon: “Lil Bishop Goes to the Library.”
His book, aimed at children ages 6-12, tells the story of Lil’ Bishop, a boy who takes his initial steps of independence by walking to the library by himself for the first time. He promises his mother to go directly to the library but encounters distractions along his path.
“It’s about inspiring students to follow their word,” said Phillips, who has been working with special needs students at Hawthorne for three years. His tag line is “allow your dreams to breathe.”
“When you give your word — even with peer pressure — you don’t get distracted from that. You stay the course. It’s the same in school: You can get good grades, you can finish the test. All you have to do is focus.”
“Lil Bishop Goes to the Library” as well as Phillips’ forthcoming books focus on character traits and reinforce the lessons he and other school staff try to impart with their students.
“It’s like the social stories we use with kids in trying to model what they should do, how they should do it and why they should do it,” said Melissa Krempasky, an instructional coach at Hawthorne.
She also noted that the book features diverse characters and aligns with the school’s efforts to bring more diverse stories to students.
“It really models what we’re trying to do here in the district,” she said.
Phillips’ next book will be released in February.