Children's Author Shares New Book with Point Elementary Students

Kids at made their own cartoon Wednesday with the help of famed children’s author and illustrator Eric Wight. 

Wight, the author of the Frankie Pickle series, spent time reading his newest book to the students, and then helped them brainstorm their own version of his main character, Frankie Pickle.

Students grades 1-4 picked from a random assortment of ideas: they wanted to see a Mario version of Frankie, riding a motorcycle underwater on his birthday.

Wight drew the creation that came out of the students’ minds amid a crowd of oohs and aahs.

“I really liked it when we got to make up another story,” said Colby Noelitt, who is in first grade. Colby said he also likes to draw, and especially likes creating cars.

The author visited four elementary schools because of a partnership between the district and Pudd'nhead Books in Webster Groves.

A former animator, Wight turned his attention to children’s books with comic book flair.

“Having kids of my own turned my focus to wanting to create kids’ books,” Wight told Patch. “I wanted to inspire them to read and create their own stories.”

Wight got into drawing in the first grade when he discovered one person was behind all of his favorite cartoons.

“I found out there was a person actually named Walt Disney and I wanted to create my own characters and stories,” he said.

That dream stuck with Wight as he was selected for Disney animation school in college. Since then, he’s worked on projects for Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and shows like "Spongebob Squarepants" and "Kim Possible."

Wight still wanted to create his own characters and began developing Frankie Pickle. When no one wanted Frankie for a TV show, Wight decided to turn the character into a book series.

There are three Frankie Pickle books out and another two are on the way. Wight recently got the news that the book series is in the works for a TV show, making his initial dream come true.

“If you have that dream, don’t give up,” he told the students. “Take all that inspiration and keep on trying and keep practicing.”