Apr 19, 2008
Going Green:
James Martin’s new book for kids
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When James Martin II decided to write and self-publish his first children’s book, he was sure to enlist the help of a trusted team of editors, artists and experts: his own family.
The book, William the Garbage Truck & Crew: William is Going Green, was released online in February at williamthegarbagetruck.com.
Since then, Mr. Martin says response to the book from both parents and children has been positive. The author has made numerous appearances and readings related to the book, which follows the good-natured, green, hybrid garbage truck William and his friends as they clean up the fictional city of Jamestown.
“I wanted to make sure the book was entertaining but also carried a life lesson,” Mr. Martin said. “And the response has been overwhelming... I am very humbled by it.”
The official book release party for William is Going Green will be Sunday, April 27 at the Greenwich Public Library, 101 West Putnam Avenue, in the library’s meeting room on the second floor, from 1 to 5 p.m. Mr. Martin and his family will be on hand to greet and meet with guests.
Mr. Martin, a successful real estate broker and businessman, said he had had the idea of writing a children’s book floating around in the back of his mind for quite some time, but just could not seem to find the right main character or story line for it.
Then, early last year, the family was fined by the town of Greenwich for cutting down a group of trees in a wetland zone on their property. Mr. Martin said the unauthorized cutting cost him a hefty fine, but opened his eyes to the importance of protecting the environment and its fragile ecosystem. And so, he decided that he and his family would become more environmentally aware.
“And it was from there I got the idea for the book. That I wanted a character to promote environmental awareness,” Mr. Martin said. “I thought that there are probably other people out there just like me, who didn’t realize the effect each one of us, individually, has on the environment.”
After deciding to focus on the theme of “going green,” the author still had not found a main character for his book. But after returning from a family trip last summer to a children’s theme park, Mr. Martin said the idea for the character just popped right into his head.
“I thought, ‘What do kids like?’ And then it hit me: my son liked garbage trucks. I liked garbage trucks when I was young. And it fit perfectly into the recycling theme,” he said.
Mr. Martin added that once his family returned to their Greenwich home, he sat down and wrote the first draft for the book that day, beginning in the late afternoon and working straight through until 6 the next morning.
“And the story was done that day,” he said.
Once he had the first draft written, it was then that he turned to his family for assistance in perfecting the book’s story line and look — in particular, Mr. Martin enlisted the help of his four-year-old son, James.
Mr. Martin said each and every character in the book was reviewed and approved by James before it was finalized by the illustrator, Don Berry. Mr. Martin calls James his “art director.”
“My son would sit next to me and draw and color in the trucks,” he said, adding that James also named the majority of William’s crew, too. “He was instrumental in creating all the characters.”
In addition to James, Mr. Martin’s wife, Michelle, a former preschool teacher, also helped the author finalize plot points and character roles. She also conducts the actual public readings of the book, as well.
“She just has a much better speaking voice than I do,” he said with a laugh.
And even the two youngest members of the Martin family — Fallon, 3, and Blake, 18 months — have put in their two cents, Mr. Martin said, as he was sure to test-run the final version of William’s theme song, which runs on the home page of the book’s Web site, with them for their approval.
“I pay attention to the songs my children like and sing along with,” he said. “And the children love the song.”
Mr. Martin said he has already finished the second and third book in the series, and his first adult book, Don’t Date Who You Wouldn’t Marry, is slated for release later this year.
Right now, however, the author’s focus is on William and his crew, and finding ways to spread his message of going green to readers, both little and big.
“William is now part of the family,” he said.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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