Canadian author, Eric Walters toured a number of schools in Winkler recently, sharing the love of reading with students.
Walters, a former teacher himself, has written more than 90 books, many of them teen fiction.
Walters shared many of the stories behind his books and gave students a glimpse into his research process which included climbing Kilimanjaro, working at an orphanage in Africa and confronting angry biker gangs.
However, he hopes the chance to speak to local kids inspires not only interest in his books, "but that they should be reading, period," he says.
"The reality is literacy is the most important thing a child can have, it's the secret to everything."
Weaved into his body of work, Walters touches on themes of values, our identity as Canadians, the importance of kindness and treating others with dignity.
"We look forward to watching the excitement of the visit spill over into even more excitement to students reading his books," Parkland Librarian Kristine Heinrichs says.
By the end of the year, he'll have made 500 presentations around the world like the one at Parkland Elementary last week.
"I've had a great time in Winkler, there's something about kids in smaller communities... they're just nice."
When students asked about the hardest part of writing, he says it doesn't compare on the difficulty scale after working at a hospital for many years, at times having to tell parents their child were dying.
"I play with words... It's supposed to be fun," he says.
Similarly, he says he's never had writer's block. "I have a map, I don't start writing until I know where I'm going," Walters says.
Not to say that he always follows his outline, but is open to detours as well.
Sat, Apr 20, 8:24 AM
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