David Biedrzycki, Children's Author and Illustrator visits Memorial School

Medfield’s own David Biedrzycki, children’s author and book illustrator, educated and entertained the students at Memorial School last week. 

Biedrzycki travels extensively going from school to school speaking to children about his books.  Japan, India, and the Midwest are just a few places he mentioned visiting.  He speaks to children about the books he creates and the characters he illustrates.   He entertained the students by demonstrating how he draws his characters by using a computer instead of paper and told them his way of drawing is “green”. 

He also told each of the 9 groups he spoke to, his personal story of how he loved to draw as a child and how his Mother encouraged his drawing and supplied him with the backside of paper menus from the restaurant she worked at.  He even showed them one of his creations and the menu item “Broiled Halibut” could be seen in reverse through the paper.

This is the 4th time visiting Memorial School for Biedrzycki and he pointed out that he greatly enjoys speaking to the smaller classroom size groups, as he has spoken to much larger crowds; groups of 200 students in one assembly in both Colorado and Nebraska.  During this visit he spoke to 9 groups which included all classes in Grades 1 and Kindergarten over a two-day timeframe.  No matter what size group you are addressing, “You’ve got to engage them!”  he said.  And engage them he did!

Memorial School Librarian, Randie Groden, pointed out that the Memorial CSA funded Biedrzycki’s two day visit and Principal, Andrea Trasher, had approached him, a few years ago, to be one of the Visiting Authors, which is an extension of the Read Across America program.

As Biedrzycki spoke to the students, his books lined the windowsills of the Memorial classroom.  Twenty three books have been published with Biedrzycki’s
illustrations.  Fourteen of them were written by author, Jerry Pallotta with Biedrzycki doing the illustrations; nine of them he both wrote and illustrated.

Speaking quickly and using an overhead projector, Biedrzycki showed his skill and worked his magic on his design pad by creating a ladybug drawing on the big screen.  One step at a time, he explained the computer drawing process; keeping their attention as the final ladybug emerged on the screen.  The students assisted him with color suggestions and offered their knowledge of a ladybug’s leg count and structure.  Biedrzycki posts each of these drawings on his website and encouraged the students to check them out.

Part of Biedrzycki’s presentation to the children is also a “test drive” for some of the stories he is currently writing.  His book, Me and My Dragon was shown to some 30,000 students while he was developing it.  He figured out what worked and what didn’t by using the student’s reactions and he made change after change before it was in its final format.   He is currently working on BREAKING NEWS: Bear Alert! which he hopes to finalize by 2014.  He showed the Memorial School
students his work in progress and they seemed to enjoy the story greatly!

In reading these books, you might notice some familiar faces.  Medfield’s own “Bubblegum” Bob  appears in Me and My Dragon,  Mrs. Biedrzycki appears in Who Will Haunt my House on Halloween and Memorial School’s own librarian, Randie Groden seen on the screen shown to the students added onto newly drawn page of the BREAKING NEWS:  Bear Alert book!

Biedrzycki also shared some of his journal, also known as his “Idea Book”.  In it, he showed me an illustration of “Rusty Springer”, the main figure of his first chapter book which will be titled Rusty Springer and the Buckaroo Bots.

In addition to his book writing and illustrations, Biedrzycki told the children they might have some of his artwork in their own homes!  His “food” artwork appears on Mott’s Apple Juice, Lifesavers Flavor Pops and the grinning cow Hood Vanilla Reduced Fat Milk!

Some of Biedrzycki's books are available for purchase at Park Street Books in Medfield!