Pictures of Opportunity: PV Grad Illustrates Children's Book

Two years ago, Adam Arditi was studying art as part of his roster of courses during his senior year at . These days, he's still studying art as a junior at Messiah College, and he came back to his old stomping grounds Wednesday, Dec. 21, to talk to current students in Susan Klinger's art classes about his recent turn as a children's book illustrator.

Arditi's drawings fill the pages "A Blue-Footed Booby Named Solly McBoo," a story about a booby who's embarrassed by his unusually large, blue feet, and then through a lesson in the beauty of diversity, comes to accept them. Arditi describes the story as "really cute with a great message," and there's affection in his tone when he discusses Solly McBoo. It's an opportunity he's happy to have had; however, it's also one he nearly didn't take.

During his spring semester last year -- following his fall semester studying in New Zealand -- Arditi was clearing his school e-mail inbox when he stumbled upon a mass e-mail that sought a student artist for a children's book manuscript penned by one of the college's part-time students. At first, Arditi admits he thought the project might be "too much work," but after a bit of thought, he decided "this is a really great opportunity," and fired off a reply.

Arditi got the gig, and after meeting with author Dwayne Magee -- an artist should take initiative to meet with a client or partner, Arditi advised the students -- he got to work on developing the character of Solly McBoo and his world.

Thinking about animated cartoon characters he grew up loving, Arditi had to discern how to make Solly "real" the young readers. How could they connect with him?

Arditi also garnered insight by conducting research on the real-life birds and their home, the Galapagos Islands. He joked that it was a little weird to keep typing "boobies" into a search engine at a Christian college, and he found that the birds are typically "not that cute." Part of creating an appealing Solly McBoo included exaggerating some features, such as his eyes and feet. Some of the early sketches of Solly are currently in a display case at PVHS.

After months of storyboarding, correcting and e-mailing, the book was published and ready for readers. Arditi says seeing his work transformed into "something tangible," such as the printed book is "surreal."

His hope that children would take to Solly McBoo is apparently becoming a reality. He recently read the book to a class of third graders, and some of the handmade "thank you" cards he received, much to his delight, included drawings of Solly.

Arditi and Magee are planning to collaborate on another book; this one is about a boy named Aloysius whose love for bridges become symbolic of bridging relationships. Although music is a first love of sorts for Arditi -- he drums in a band with friends -- he can see himself continuing to illustrate, and says he is pushing for an illustration class at Messiah.

Illustration can be "looked down on" by some people because it's not considered "high end" art, Arditi said, but he defends "the real beauty to illustration. ... It's creating something for people to enjoy."

He encouraged the students to, if faced with "any opportunity that's out of the ordinary, just take it. It will stretch you in ways you didn't expect."

"A Blue-Footed Booby Named Solly McBoo" is available on Amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble.