As a bonus, the school book project begins with the story about my quest for happiness around the world on a bicycle, with an emphasis on how to turn dreams into reality. It features about one hundred photos in the slideshow and is similar to my popular short film. (Below students admire the map of my journey.) In the following visits, when we’re ready to begin illustrating the book, I work with the students as the artist-in-residence. I start by summarizing that we are creating a real book that will be in libraries for everyone to read; in this case, a book about composting and living a life of passion. Then I read the story to the students and ask for volunteers to illustrate sentences or concepts. I literally give the first student to raise their hand a page from the book. By the end of the week, I have over 1000 drawings to choose from!
