Salt Brook Students Welcome Sci-Fi Author

On March 4, Salt Brook Elementary School welcomed Patrick O’Brien, author and illustrator of 13 children’s books about prehistoric and historic subjects, ranging from giant dinosaurs and ancient sharks to knights in armor and pirates on the high seas. His most recent book looks into the future of space travel, combining all of his interests into a sci-fi/fantasy/adventure series about dinosaurs in space.

O’Brien talked with students about how he creates his books, from researching subjects to writing and illustrating the stories. He kept the young audience captivated with the giant prehistoric creatures in many of his books, also showing students an ancient shark tooth and a sabertooth-cat fang that provided inspiration for several of his books. He shared vivid examples of his creative process, including sketches, rough drafts, color proofs and original paintings.

Sponsored by the PTA, O’Brien met with students in every grade level throughout the day, answered countless questions, signed books and enjoyed lunch with student representatives from each class. Past authors who have visited Salt Brook for this annual Author Day event include Linda Oatman, Lawrence Pringle, Michael Dooling, Lisa Funari-Willever and Dan Gutman.