ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Children’s book illustrator Raul Gonzalez brought art lessons to Cobbet Elementary School in Lynn on Friday.
By THOMAS GRILLO
LYNN — Marlin Lebron isn’t sure what kind of work she’ll do when she grows up, but becoming an illustrator is on the list.
The 10-year-old fourth grader and her classmates at Cobbet Elementary School got a lesson Friday from Raul Gonzalez, a children’s book illustrator.
The Texas native, who grew up in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, captivated students in Danielle Delisio’s classroom with stories about how scorpions, cacti and mountains, things he saw near his home as a child, made their way into his art. His use of Spanish was another way to connect with students.
“Today, I learned we can create art not only from our imaginations but from everyday things,” Lebron said following the lesson.
Mission accomplished for Gonzalez, the illustrator of “Lowriders in Space,” a graphic novel written by Cathy Camper that takes readers on a journey into the cosmos with Latino characters.
He said the goal of his classroom presentations was to pull back the curtain and reveal that everyone has a story to tell.
“Hopefully, students will realize that they have the ability to do what I do or anything else for that matter,” said Gonzalez, 40.
His message got across loud and clear.
“I like drawing realistic characters,” said Lebron. “If I see something on TV that’s really interesting I grab all the art supplies from my mom’s room and start drawing things and see which one works best.”
Lebron was not the only one who was inspired.
Franli Marte, 10, said Gonzalez taught him that he can use his family as an inspiration for his art.
“When he couldn’t think of what to draw, he thought of his family,” he said. “I love that you can express your feelings by drawing. I like to draw cars, but I’m still learning how.”
Suzanne Garrity, Cobbet principal, said one of the reasons she brought Gonzalez to the K-5 school was his inspiring story.
“The fact that he’s doing something that he loves, that he uses things he loves in art and he has to work hard, is an inspiration,” she said.
Gonzalez’s visit coincided with the launch of First Book, a national nonprofit that puts books into the hands of low-income families. The effort will deliver 40,000 books to Lynn children at an event scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 3, at the former Marshall Middle School.
Since its founding in 1992, the Washington, D.C.-based charity has distributed more than 135 million books and educational resources to programs and schools.
Gale Thomas, president of the Lynn Business Education Foundation, said the organization is in the midst of raising $9,000 for the truck that will transport the books. Each child will get 10 free books, she said
Brant Duncan, president of the Lynn Teachers Union, said the school community is behind the First Book program and its simple mission.
“This gets books into the hands of kids who otherwise wouldn’t have them,” he said.
Thomas Grillo can be reached at tgrillo@itemlive.com.