A student from Coquitlam, B.C. is showingB次元官网网址攁nd sharingB次元官网网址攈is admiration for first responders in a novel way, and he was in Cache Creek and Ashcroft on the weekend of July 6 to meet with the communtiesB次元官网网址� fire chiefs and mayors, discuss their experiences during the 2017 wildfire season, and talk about his new book, which deals with the event.
Thirteen-year-old Nathan McTaggart had already written (with his father Keven) and published two books when, in the summer of 2017, he learned about the devastating fires in the Interior of B.C. while on holiday in Ontario. Then, while at a hockey camp in the Lower Mainland, Nathan met a fellow hockey player who had been displaced from his Williams Lake home because of the fires.
Nathan had already thought that the 2017 wildfires would be a fitting subject for his third book. He combined what he learned from the Williams Lake evacuee with his love of the SuperDogs event at the PNE, did some research, and the result is Brandy and Her Super Hero, the third in his B次元官网网址淣athanB次元官网网址檚 Super HeroesB次元官网网址� series.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e always liked the SuperDogs and their agility training,B次元官网网址� says Nathan. B次元官网网址淚 like watching them.B次元官网网址�
Keven says that when they initially approached SuperDogs about using the name in the book, the organization wasnB次元官网网址檛 sure. B次元官网网址淏ut we sent them the story, and they said yes, and fully endorsed it.B次元官网网址�
The book chronicles the adventures of Brandy, a dog who is separated from her family near Williams Lake during the 2017 wildfires. She encounters a pair of firefighters trying to save two colleagues, and uses her agility to help rescue them. Her keen sense of smell then helps the firefighters locate another lost dog. Later, at the fire camp, Brandy meets firefighters from Australia and Mexico who are there to help their British Columbia colleagues.
Incorporating international firefighters into the story was important, says Nathan. B次元官网网址淚 wanted to show that everyone came to help [in 2017]. It wasnB次元官网网址檛 just North Americans.B次元官网网址�
NathanB次元官网网址檚 road to becoming an author began when he was three, when he wondered what would happen if Santa Claus got stuck in a chimney. During their evening story sessions in the run-up to Christmas, father and son brainstormed ideas, with Keven suggesting that firefighters would help out.
B次元官网网址淲e started working on scenarios,B次元官网网址� says Nathan, and the result was a story that Keven told Nathan every Christmas until his son was eight. That was when they decided they should make the story into a book, and Nathan asked if money from sales could be donated to charity (they decided on the BC Professional FirefightersB次元官网网址� Burn Fund).
It was a rocky road to start, with the initial publication somewhat less than attractive. B次元官网网址淲e took it to a publisher, and they said B次元官网网址楪reat idea, great story, great concept, this should be a series, but itB次元官网网址檚 an ugly book,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� laughs Keven.
The bookB次元官网网址攃alled Santa and His Super HeroB次元官网网址攚as re-done. The artwork was provided by NathanB次元官网网址檚 fellow students in Mrs. ShinkewskiB次元官网网址檚 2015/16 class at Harbour View Elementary, and the book was published in 2017. Keven says that to date $2,500 from the sales proceeds have been donated to the Burn Fund, and another $2,000 has been donated to other organizations.
A second bookB次元官网网址�Zippy and His Super HeroB次元官网网址攚as published in 2018, with proceeds going to the Canucks for Kids Fund. The book is dedicated to Daniel and Henrik Sedin: B次元官网网址淵ou were my first hockey heroes and will forever be an inspiration.B次元官网网址�
Proceeds from the sales of Brandy and Her Super HeroB次元官网网址攚hich was published this summerB次元官网网址攚ill go to Firefighters Without Borders Canada and the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS). Nathan says that he is already planning a book starring Caber, a PADS therapy dog that is brought in to communities to help residents who are dealing with stress after a disaster. The book might also feature Orca, a PADS dog who helps first responders.
Then again, each dog might feature in their own distinct story; Nathan isnB次元官网网址檛 sure. HeB次元官网网址檚 also planning a story about a rescue horse that becomes a B次元官网网址渉orse on the beatB次元官网网址� in New York City and then ends up as part of the RCMP musical ride.
All three books have been illustrated by the students in Mrs. ShinkewskiB次元官网网址檚 classesB次元官网网址攆irst at Harbour View Elementary, now at Aspenwood ElementaryB次元官网网址攁nd Nathan says that he and his father go in to visit the class and brainstorm ideas about different groups of first responders.
B次元官网网址淲e have the kids come up with characters and stories, and then we come back and read the story to them,B次元官网网址� says Keven. B次元官网网址淭hen we go away, make adjustments, and come back.B次元官网网址�
Nathan says that since he has started writing his books, he has visited more than 100 fire halls in Canada, Washington state, New York City, and Mexico; a trophy he gave to New York City firefighters is now in the 9/11 Museum.
B次元官网网址淚 like to say thank you [to firefighters] for the work theyB次元官网网址檝e done,B次元官网网址� says Nathan. B次元官网网址淎nd I learn something new at every hall.B次元官网网址�
All of his books have pages at the back where kids can get the signatures of the super heroes in their lives. The stops in Cache Creek and Ashcroft were part of a tour of the province that will see Nathan visiting towns around the Interior and the Okanagan, where he will meet with elected officials and firefighters.
He says that he likes riding on fire trucks, and that he is considering a career as a firefighter, but that a drawback is his fear of heights. When he adds that he was given a ride on a fire engine in Cache Creek by chief Tom Moe, White offers to take Nathan, his mother Lucie, and Keven on a ride in AshcroftB次元官网网址檚 Engine 3.
The Journal is along for the ride, and it does not escape noticeB次元官网网址攁s White pilots the engine past Boston Flats, along Highway 1, and back to Ashcroft through the Ashcroft Reserve, pointing out the after effects of the 2017 Elephant Hill wildfire as he drivesB次元官网网址攖hat it is two years to the day since the fire burst into life.
Nathan hopes to start doing workshops about writing books when he turns 16. He has already started doing author talks, in which he gives advice to budding young authors, and says that one talk he did in 2017 inspired five children to write their own books.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 do author talks to sell books,B次元官网网址� says Keven. B次元官网网址淲e go for the education aspect, and for Nathan to talk about his experiences and inspire others. ItB次元官网网址檚 a hobby, but itB次元官网网址檚 a really good job to do.B次元官网网址�
All three books can be ordered through NathanB次元官网网址檚 website at . You can also find out more on the Facebook page.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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