​Reading the Book at MacMac’s School…

            I was invited to go to my grandson’s elementary school yesterday and read my book to the students. First my daughter, granddaughter and I had lunch with Mac, which was very good – and then I ended up reading the book four times to various combined classrooms.  
            I was a little concerned how the wide age range of students would react to the story, but honestly, they were all good listeners and so polite. The students and teachers made me feel welcome and I appreciated their hospitality. 
            I introduced myself to each group and explained how I first came to write this story. I explained my relationship with each of my grandchildren and how they influenced the frog characters in the story. Each presentation was different – after awhile you forget what you told one group and you wonder if you’ve said something twice…  I probably should have some notes to keep me on track. Oh well – maybe next time.
            In the first book, the three frogs make a raft out of Styrofoam and water bottles. I told the students that Rai and I made the exact same raft and tested it out in the bathtub to learn if it would work. They were delighted to learn that the raft had worked out in “real” life.
            In at least one of the groups, I told the story of my first experience with Styrofoam. This was back in the mid 1950’s and Styrofoam had just been invented. I explained that my Grandpa Joe owned a greenhouse and flower shop in Fremont. I told the group that some of the flowers were not grown in the greenhouse and were shipped to Fremont on the bus. The flowers would come cut for arranging - stored in long, wide, box-like Styrofoam containers with shallow lids and deeper bottoms.  
            Grandpa Joe got the idea that if we put several of these Styrofoam containers together, we could build a raft. Grandpa and my brother Billy made a raft out of the bigger bottom portions of the Styrofoam containers. Grandpa and I made a raft out of the smaller top portions.  
            When we took the rafts out to the cabin on Big Island, Billy’s raft did better at staying afloat while mine quickly sank to the bottom. I told the kids how the design of my raft had bothered me for decades. Sixty years after the fact, while making up a story for Rai, I finally figured out that I needed to turn the lid over and add air filled plastic bottles to keep it buoyant.   
            A full six decades after the initial engineering disaster, the problem had been solved. I explained how amazed I was that the answer to that old, old problem had come to me from a cute little frog with the biggest blue eyes you have ever seen. The kids look puzzled. One young man asked if tape had been invented back then. So ya – that happened.
            Anyway – I got a chance to talk about cooperation and competition. About friendship and kindness.  About perseverance and thinking things through. I got to share and get a much-needed teaching “fix” – thanks for making time for Oma Sue. Thank you, Mac for all your help with the first book and for being you!