Two Local Leaders Inspire Hope Through Children’s Book
Photo by Jamie Plain
In Owensboro, a collaboration between two local leaders resulted in the creation of a children’s book designed to empower and inspire young minds.
Jody Hulsey and Emmy Woosley, local community leaders and co-authors of “Of Life: The Rollercoaster,” say they hope their book inspires hope and resilience among young readers.
The Story Behind the Book
The project saw its inception about five years ago while Jody was serving on the board of a local nonprofit, Girls Inc. of Owensboro. He came across a memorable piece of art crafted by an 8-year-old girl. The artwork, a 3D roller coaster made with construction paper and adorned with vibrant colors, served as a visual representation of the girl’s emotions and challenges she faced both at home and school.
The roller coaster, he said, started as purple, which represented happy moments where she was feeling good, and blue, moments where she felt down or was facing one of life’s challenges. It rose and fell and twisted and turned with each color representing her emotions and all of life’s various challenges she had faced, but the roller coaster still ended in purple, a testament to her enduring optimism.
“It had all these different colors on it, and it was going up and down and around,” Jody said. “I was just really inspired by her creativity.”
Inspired by the girl’s artwork and her story, Jody decided to write a poem, penning the same title of the girl’s artwork, “Of Life: The Roller Coaster.”
“When she created the work of art, on the bottom right, she was going to call it the roller coaster of life, but she ran out of room. So she wrote, the roller coaster, and then wrote, of life, above it. And I just thought that, in itself, was poetic. So that was the title of the poem,” he said.
This poem, coupled with Emmy’s expertise as a director and storyteller, laid the foundation for what would eventually become a children’s book. Jody was in a play that Emmy was directing, and one night, Jody said he was telling Emmy about the girl and her roller coaster and shared the poem he wrote.
Emmy said she was so captivated and moved by the roller coaster and the poem and thought the concept would work well as a children’s book. And so, together, they meticulously storyboarded the narrative, weaving together themes of hope, courage, and the power of resilience in the face of adversity and enlisted the talent of local artist Sarah Truman to illustrate the book and bring their vision to life.
Sarah’s illustrations, Emmy said, breathed vibrancy into the story and captured the essence of the young protagonist, Evelli, and her journey.
“We sat down with her and showed her the pictures that we had with the young girl and her actual roller coaster and then shared with her the storyboard that I created,” Emmy said. “Sarah just really took … all that inspiration and our feelings about how inspiring this young girl was, and she just elevated it to the next level with her illustrations.”
The whole effort, Emmy said, was a collaborative one with no big egos. It was a five-year process where both Jody and Emmy had to continue pushing to get the story out there and touching back to it, even in the midst of their own roller coasters.
In the time it took to complete the book, both Jody and Emmy were taking on some of those purple and blue moments themselves, whether that be children, careers, school, or even family illness. But that, Emmy said, is a testament alone to how powerful and inspiring the girl’s project was. It kept them going and motivated them to complete the project.
Inspiring Young Minds
Though it may have taken some time to complete, the finished project was everything that Jody and Emmy imagined when they started off on their book-writing journey.
“Of Life: The Rollercoaster” follows the main protagonist, Evelli, who is portrayed as hopeful, courageous, creative and optimistic. And while she is inspired by the young girl who created the original construction paper roller coaster, the character is meant to take on a persona all her own.
The story follows Evelli as she takes a ride on her roller coaster, through all the ups and downs and twists and turns, and she invites readers to go alone for the ride with her, sharing all of her happy and sad moments, but also her optimism, her bravery and her encouragement for readers that, even though things can get tough, there is always hope.
“She actually introduces herself, ‘Hi, I’m Evelli, and just like you, my life is not perfect. It’s full of purple, pink and blue.’ And so she’s inviting the reader into her journey, which does get murky, but ends on a very positive note where she’s almost inviting other kids to come along with her,” Jody said.
The book even pays homage to Girls Inc. and the organization’s mantra, “Strong, Smart and Bold” as Evelli utters the affirmation to herself, and it helps her through her difficult times to remember that she, too, is strong, smart and bold, Jody said.
“It really follows that format that she set up in her construction paper rollercoaster of different colors and kind of feeling maybe hopeless … but then remembering that she has the power to be optimistic,” Emmy said.
Since the book was published, Jody and Emmy have had the opportunity to not just sell the book, but to present it and read it to children and provide it to schools for teachers to read to students as well. It has also inspired several classroom projects where students are encouraged to create their own construction paper roller coasters.
The reception, Emmy said, is more than they had hoped for, and it really does inspire optimism and hope for a lot of children that hear or read the story.
“One of my favorite times was when we were reading the story at the library. There’s a part in the book where the character, Evelli, says, ‘Will this ever end?’ And there was a young boy in our story circle and he was like, ‘yes, it will,’ “ Emmy said. “As long as you think toward the good colors and the brightness and the light, you have that power to help influence your own outlook.”
As Evelli’s roller coaster journey unfolds, readers – both children and even adults – are reminded of their own inner strength and resilience, instilling a sense of hope and optimism for the future.
“Of Life: The Roller Coaster” can be purchased online through Amazon, or locally at Crazy Me Gifts & Apparel, Kidstop Children’s Boutique, and Windy Hollow Biscuit House.