AUTHOR TELLS CHILDREN TO USE IMAGINATION

PATTON -- As Squib the Owl learned about feelings, his creator Larry Schles was unlocking his own imagination.

With the aid of a simple pencil drawing, Schles told students they could unlock the magic of their imaginations through art and writing.

Schles, of St. Louis, a children's author and illustrator, visited students at Meadow Heights Elementary School Tuesday as part of National Children's Book Week celebrations.

"Out of the blue, I created Squib," he said, adding that the inspiration came from a figurine he received as a gift.

Until 13 years ago when his first book was written, Schles was a high-school biology teacher in St. Louis County. Now he travels across the country talking to students about self-confidence and self-respect. He visited Perry County schools last month.

"Don't give up when it gets tough," he said. "Make the most of who you can be. Believe in your magic and follow your dreams."

Schles, who wears a ring shaped to resemble the face of an owl, followed his artistic dreams and became an author.

After 500 drawings, Schles created Squib, who tells the stories about Schles' childhood and the difficulties of living with teen-age children.

"My life has been tough; it's hard to be successful if it isn't," Schles said.

Although many of his own experiences led to the first Squib stories, until four years ago Schles thought that he only would write Squib books. But when his teen-age daughter became addicted to drugs, he created a new character, Scooter, to tell the story of her addiction.

Scooter the squirrel faces a "tail" of terror in Schles' book "Scooter's Tail of Terror." It is a story of addictions and the hope of overcoming them.

"The purpose is to get children to believe in themselves and to learn to take chances," he said.

If Schles had never taken chances, he wouldn't have become a cartoonist, he told the students.

"I was an artist at 43, but I never tried cartoons," he said. "I bought a book and tried to teach myself."

Schles admits that he stared at a blank piece of paper for an hour before beginning to draw. After some practice, he finally created Geoffrey, a cartoon nose based on a simple geometric shape.

At each school visit, Schles chooses one student's artwork to place in a gold frame. Schles spent part of the afternoon drawing with the 300 elementary students.

The framing demonstration shows that each person is different but they all are important, he said.

"I believe in having kids believe in the ways they are different," Schles said. "Not everybody comes from a perfect family."

Schles is the author of nine books. His visit was coordinated by teachers Angela Metje, Lindsey Minson and the Planned Parenting Partnership at the school.