Award winning author visits DES

Posted on: Feb 9, 2024

Derek Anderson, author and illustrator of more than 30 children's books, helped kick off I Love to Read Month at the elementary school. Anderson, creator of Little Quack and Hot Rod Hamster, and many other best sellers, shared his story or writing and drawing, and provided an art demonstration to captive audiences.
 

Anderson, an Iowa native, who resides in Minnesota, shared messages about perseverance and never giving up. He told students about a giant stack of rejection letters and how he kept going and kept trying. “No matter how many times I heard no, I kept trying,” said Anderson. “I looked at my drawings again and I made some big, sometimes small changes and I tried again. And when publishers so no again, I tried again and again.”  
 

Anderson encouraged students to set goals and to never give up. “The biggest goals in life — the ones we want the most, often look and feel impossible to reach,” said Anderson. Anderson told students that his secret to writing children's stories is to write about the joyful moments they are experiencing now. He confessed his books allow him to go to places that don't even exist, but are places of endless fun, joy and laughter. Students who were familiar with Anderson’s books surprised the author when they were able to find pictures of his dogs throughout his books. 
 

After his presentation, Anderson answered a few questions about writing first or drawing first, and demonstrated how students can draw anything they want by starting with an idea and a shape. Before leaving, Anderson signed some books for students.