Here is the children's book I wrote tentatively titled "Alemayehu The Adventurer." The children's book started with a simple idea. What if the dragon beast was more of an African tradition, what would the dragon look like? Instead of a serpent and a bat...I thought of a dragonfly and a rhino, so I came up with the creature based on it.

The story itself is more along the lines of your story about camping...in that everything the boy expresses isn't what actually happened. He claims he went out on a quest to bravely scare away the old mean beast, but he ends up being protected and cared for by the dragon. The dragon shows Alem how to hunt and fish, and is patient with him as he consistently walks away from the direction of his village.

Here is the children's book I wrote tentatively titled "Alemayehu The Adventurer. The children's book started with a simple idea. What if the dragon beast was more of an African tradition, what would the dragon look like? Instead of a serpent and a bat...I thought of a dragonfly and a rhino, so I came up with the creature based on it.

The story itself is more along the lines of your story about camping...in that everything the boy expresses isn't what actually happened. He claims he went out on a quest to bravely scare away the old mean beast, but he ends up being protected and cared for by the dragon. The dragon shows Alem how to hunt and fish, and is patient with him as he consistently walks away from the direction of his village.

I am an illustrator, and I've had this idea for years now, and wanted to create a more child friendly illustration to go with the text, but more importantly, finish the story so that I could create a dummy of it and create the recurring characters.

Alemayehu The Adventurer

Maybe have two titles. Alemayehu the foolish kid who got loset…crossed out and in chalk is written “The Adventurer!”

A. end pages…cool designs with characters on them.

Title author illustrator copyright statement isdn number.
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Dedication
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“Hello, I am Alemayehu the Adventurer, I am writing you this from a long time ago in a far off magical village town as Kwilki within a savage Savannah.

“I am a great adventurer.”

He is a small child, proud posing with a staff, and pouch. Maybe have him picturing in his mind a proud warrior type with a barreled out chest looking heroic and invulnerable.

In the village of Kwiliki, among the many hunters and gatherers, there was a small child who constantly got lost named Alemayhu.

I was told not to leave the village alone, otherwise Drak Resto of the dragon rhino would get me. But bravely I decided one day…to go and find and vanquish the beast. To prove to the villagers that I was a warrior.
“I was told repeatedly not to stray too far from the village. There was a mean old beast that threatened our skies. You couldn’t see him because he would hide in the sun and behind the clouds”. (Here we can have a view of the village with a dark shadow hanging over it)
“Between warnings and being confined to the village, one day, bravery won out. I decided to go out and seek the terrible beast and scare it away.”

(Alemayehu has a history of getting distracted. Maybe have a couple of pictures showing this. An adult showing him how to hunt and he is busy playing in the dirt, or a scene where mother is cutting vegetables and he is playing with a bug or he has a pet lizard. Make it clear that he just isn’t interested in what the adults are trying to teach him. The scene I am thinking about is you see Alemayehu chasing a butterfly or other creature out of the village. This could be three spot illustrations.
"It wasn’t too long until I was in a new frontier.” (Two page spread of Alemayehu small in a huge savannah…he’s alone couldn’t see his village anwhere, and the butterfly had flown away.
(More of the 2 page spread)
“I found myself bravely facing and figuring out the wilderness.” (Shows him crying lost in the middle of the Savannah.) He can’t see where the village is because of the gradual roll of hills blocking its location.
“And then out of the daylight I heard the flutter of wings and a dark shadow loomed above me. (Dragon helps Alemayehu up from the ground)
“We fought and struggled and finally I tamed the savage beast with my lore regarding animals.” (Shows the boy hugging onto the rhino dragon) Dragon rhino has a shocked look on its face.
“I taught the beast many skills that I had learned throughout my days as an adventurer.”
(Dragon is pointing at the sun and a different direction and Alemayehu is walking the other way.

Dragon also is shown helping the boy in a number of ways…like pulling him out of quicksand…blowing spiders away using his wings like a fan…Shows the kid also walking into other hazards.
“I gave the tamed beast a name. The boy has a crazy name,” (The dragon folds its arm, nose upturned and says “My name is Drak.”)
“I told the mighty monster about my quest. And now that I had completed it, I was going to return home triumphant.” (The boy continues to go in the wrong direction, and the dragon, making sure that the kid remains unhurt follows him…and at times is defending the child against those that want to eat him.
“I showed I could hide and walk with stealth throughout the savanna in the tall grass.” The rhino looks confused at the boy who is on the ground is rustling through the grass and making a shit ton of noise.
“I taught Drak How to Hunt and Fish.”
(Shows how Alameya caught a bug and Drak caught a bird.)
(SHOWS AL fishing ) and Drak looks like he just lifted his head out of the wate
with a fish in his mouth.
“And then the sun went down.” (Maybe a scene showing how Ala keeps walking in circles. Or Ala keeps getting int trouble..like walking into a clearing where there are lions, or being chased by an ostrich…or ambushed by some hyenas.
“I showed Drak how to sleep in the dark to keep away snakes and other beasts”.
(Boy is sleeping on the Dragon’s belly, they are in a tree and on the ground you see beass looking up, but smart enough not to mess with the beast.
“The next morning I was hungry again, so I caught us some more food.”
Draak calming down a mother by handing back the egg to the bird that is clearly angry that Ala took it.
“After breakfast I realized how my family must miss me.”
Shows Ala crying again missing his family, and the dragon rhino comforting him as best he can.
“So we set off back to the village.” (We see again, the rhino keeps pointing in the right direction, but Ala doesn’t believe him and continues to get lost. Finally Ala gets very tired and hot. Maybe have Ala say something like “I think I recognize that tree” make all the trees look similar.
“Finally, growing tired, I asked Drak if there was an easier way to travel. And he hoisted me on his shoulders and showed me.” That dragon picks Ala up, and takes to the air…flying over the places they visited. And Ala is at first scared. He has neve rbeen this high in the sky. Finally he opens his eyes and sees the village in the distance.
This could be broken down in a couple of spot illustrations.
“I pointed out the village and showed Drak the way to go. As he drew close to the village, many shouted, cried out, and pointed. Here show the boy on the back pointing and all the villagers smiling and cheering!
|
“The elders of the village were angry at Drak being so fierce and I had to calm them down about it. “The elders were thanking the dragon rhino and invited the rhino to share a meal with them. They were surprised at the dragon rhino’s appearance though. They had made up the story about the giant beast to keep Ala and many other children from leaving the village. Not sure how to show this in an illustration.
“I told the elders of my adventures.”

(Scene around a fire showing Drak in the background kind of shrugging his shoulders as the boy talked about his adventures in the Savannah.They saw that the Ala had been returned without scratch and well fed from being out in the wilderness overnight, and the elders thanked and welcomed the dragon into their village. They no longer shouted or pointed weapons at him. And they shared with him their food, and he was allowed to take Ala and other kids out on adventures and watch over the villages children.
“And from that day on the elders deemed that me and my trusty friend could leave the village together. Sometimes my other friends would accompany us.”

Spot illustration of Drak and friends accompanying Drak out of the village.

28. Ending Imag

29. Blan

30. Author’s Note, list of other books or promotion

31 Blank

32. End Pages.

Alemayehu The Adventurer. - image 1 - student project

I am an illustrator, and I've had this idea for years now, and wanted to create a more child friendly illustration to go with the text, but more importantly, finish the story so that I could create a dummy of it and create the recurring characters.

Jim Gleeson

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