Many of us wish we could back to being a child for a day. Whether it’s the feeling of safety, the lack of responsibilities, or the craving to experience the endless bursts of imagination flowing through us once more.
Everything seemed like magic. A piece of cloth became a river, blocks became cities and a tiny horse figurine could sing opera. All was possible. But as we grow up and life becomes more rational, it loses its luster; we become fearful, not only of the ghosts lurking in the darkness at 3am, but also of following those dreams we had when we were kids.
But thankfully, one boy did not allow anything to stand in his way. He wrote a book and, wanting people to read it, snuck it onto a library shelf, reverse heist style. The inspiring story is what we’ll be diving into today, but before we do, dear readers, make sure to leave your thoughts at the end, upvote the story and follow the author to show your love.
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Dillon wrote his first book at 8 years old and wanted the whole world to read it, so he came up with a sneaky plan
Image credits: dillonhisself
Dillon Helbig worked hard on his first book, The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis, and once it was finished, as every writer does, he wanted people to read it. One problem – he was 8 years old. With no agent or publishing experience, Dillon thought of an ingenious, yet sneaky, plan of getting his writing in front of others.
During a visit with his grandmother to the Lake Hazel branch of the Ada Community Library in Boise, Idaho, Dillon quietly left his book, signed by Dillon His Self, on a nearby shelf.
The book, titled ‘The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis’ by Dillon His Self, was written in a red notebook and illustrated with colored pencil drawings
Image credits: Dillon His Self
“I always be sneaky, like how I get chocolate,” Dillon told KTVB television. “There was a lot of librarians that I had to sneak past,” so he covered up the book with his body, walking quickly into an aisle and, with one final glance around, putting his book away.
No one had any clue and the secret was safe between Dillon and the books on the shelf. Mission accomplished.
Whilst visiting his favorite library with his grandma, Dillon snuck away into the nearest aisle and left the book on a shelf without anyone noticing
Image credits: dillonhisself
However, when the boy returned to the same shelf the next day, he noticed the book was missing. He came home and confessed to his mom, Susan Helbig, of what he’d done and the worried parent called the library.
“His parents were worried we would find his book and we would get rid of it,” the Lake Hazel library branch manager, Alex Hartman, said. “Which was an unfounded fear because if there’s ever a place a book would be safe, it would be here.”
It turned out that Alex and his colleagues discovered Dillon’s book in the stories section and read it. “Dillon’s book definitely fit all the criteria that we look for to include a book in our collection,” Alex said. And so, with Dillon’s permission, the library stickered and cataloged the book and placed it within the section of graphic novels.
Next day he came back to find the book missing. He told his mom what had happened and they called up the library
Image credits: dillonhisself
Dillon told Good Morning America (GMA) that it’s a dream come true. “I wanted to put my book in the library center since I was 5, and I always had a love for books and libraries,” he said. “I’ve been going to libraries a lot since I was a baby.”
“Dillon is a confident guy and a generous guy. He wanted to share the story,” Alex told People. “I don’t think it’s a self-promotion thing. He just genuinely wanted other people to be able to enjoy his story. … He’s been a lifelong library user, so he knows how books are shared.”
It turned out that the librarians had discovered his book and loved it so much that they decided to include it in their collection
Image credits: Dillon His Self
Ever since then, the book has been garnering a waiting list of people curious to read it themselves. At the moment, the waiting list is for 112 people and the numbers keep growing. So what’s caught the book lovers’ attention? Out of all the books in the library, why choose this one?
Well, the 81-page book, made with a red notebook and designed with colored pencils, is an adventure-filled, surrealistic drama, with Dillon as the main character. When the star that is meant to go atop the Christmas tree explodes, Santa comes to the destroyed house to find the boy and sends him back to 1621. During the very first Thanksgiving at the North Pole, Dillon encounters a massive turkey that gobbles him up.
The book was a huge hit with library-goers. Since it’s been catalogued, the waiting list to read Dillon’s work has been growing, reaching 100s
Image credits: Dillon His Self
“Everything about it was a bit crazy,” the second-grader admitted. But the imagination and silliness of it all is nostalgic in a way. To be this close to a child’s perception of reality, full of fantasy and magical happenings, is an experience in its own right.
“We’re just hoping that children find inspiration to write their own stories and share those with other people,” Alex told The Washington Post. “I just think it’s a good demonstration to share with other kids.” And according to Susan, it’s doing just that. “It’s pretty neat to see how he’s inspiring little minds,” as his classmates have followed suit writing stories of their own.
“Everything about it was a bit crazy,” the second-grader admitted, the story featuring time travel, exploding decor and a giant turkey
Image credits: Dillon His Self
If you’d like to encourage your child to put down their imagination onto paper, Play Skippy details some ways of doing just that. Read along with them, and narrate by using your expressions to help them realize the vibe of the book when they won’t necessarily understand the words. Make them repeat lines and interact to keep them excited. Play storytelling games together or with a group of people during events and gatherings.
Let your child choose where the story goes. It might not make sense to you, but it will to the kids and we can all learn as to how a chair is the same as a zebra. And as with everything in life – practice is key. Soon you’ll be entranced by the things your kids come up with, maybe some will even convince you of their existence or coexistence. We believe kids when they’re talking to vent ghosts, don’t we?
Since the first book’s success, Dillon has been working on a couple more books, inspiring his classmates to write stories as well
Image credits: Dillon His Self
Dillon has been awarded the library’s Whoodini Award for Best Young Novelist, a category created for him and named after the library’s owl mascot. Owls go ‘whoo whoo,’ so Whoodini, get it?
The young author has announced that he’s working on a sequel, this time about a visit from the Grinch and also featuring Dillon’s dog, Rusty. He is also writing a book about a jacket-eating closet, based, Dillon said, on a true story from his kindergarten days.
“Every time in kindergarten, I put my jacket in the closet and during recess, it would be gone. The jackets are still gone and that’s why I’m making the book,” he told GMA.
The book that started it all could one day be turned into a digital copy or taken in by a publishing house, but that is still in the works
Image credits: Dillon His Self
Sounds like Dillon is on his way to becoming a great writer and he’s got the charisma and imagination to do just that. For the rest of us it’s a healthy reminder that we can make all of our dreams come true with the right motivation.
Things don’t have to be perfect, the timing doesn’t have to be right, the planets don’t have to be aligned in a certain way. All you need is love for your project and the craving for people to see it.
For all those who are starting out writing or have been trying to get into it, here are a few tips. Any good storyteller knows that it’s all about the 5 C’s: Circumstances (who, when what?), Conflict (what’s the problem to solve), Crisis (what’s stopping them from solving it), Climax (getting close to solving it), Conclusions (all is solved but how is it affecting life now?).
Main thing – write and write lots. You won’t get it right the first time as it’s simply not possible. Just get your thoughts on paper as it’s easier to edit something that is written down rather than something in its imaginary phase.
We wish Dillon all the best in his writing journey and can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!
Image credits: Dillon His Self
We can’t wait to see what Dillon comes up with next and I’m sure all the people on the waitlist are super excited to finally have the book in their hands.
We wish Dillon and his family all the best in their endeavors, regardless of whether he continues his writing journey or not.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Would you want to read Dillon’s book? Did you write anything in your childhood?
Can’t wait to read all of your responses and I wish you all a magical, wondrous day or evening!
People have loved Dillon’s creativity and cleverness. Leave us your thoughts in the comments below!
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