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Books: This young author loves pepperoni
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Aidan Meath's friends have a nickname for him: Dr. Seuss.
It's a pretty good nickname, considering that, like Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss' real name), Aidan has written a book that carries an important message for kids.
Geisel was in his 30s when he published his first children's book. Aidan is 10.
The book is "The Pepperoni Palm Tree," and its author is an outgoing fourth-grader at the Mater Dei School in Bethesda, Md., who likes playing lacrosse and the piano.
So how does a 10-year-old decide to write a book? Well, Aidan was 7 when he got the idea.
"My dad had written a book, and so I wanted to write a book, too," he says.
He started with the title: "I came up with 'The Pepperoni Palm Tree' because I like pizza and the beach."
Aidan worked with his dad, Jason Meath, to come up with ideas for the book and its characters. (It is illustrated by Kirk Parrish.)
The story takes place on an island with an unusual palm tree -- one that grows pepperoni instead of coconuts. But the other plants and animals on the island make fun of the pepperoni palm tree because he's different.
But he does have one friend: a boy named Frederick who promises to find out where there are more pepperoni palm trees.
"The message is to treat everyone with respect. The other trees made fun of the pepperoni palm tree, but in the end who came out on top?" Aidan asks. "I know bullying is a really big problem for kids."
Aidan says he and his dad worked on the book together on weekends. His dad helped put his ideas into writing but the message, all of the characters and the geography of the island came from Aidan's imagination.
So what advice does Aidan have for other kids who might want to write their own book?
"Get to work and write about things that you like. If you like cars, write about cars. If you like football, write about football. Write about stuff you like."
First Published February 4, 2013 12:00 am
