Hoover High grad, children's author Nicole Magistro tells students to dream

Nicole Magistro worked on her children's book "Read Island" for eight months and over the course of 14 drafts.

Lines were dictated into her cellphone in the cadence of a rhyme. The former Stark County resident thought about the book while hiking, driving and Nordic skiing, the motion helping her work out rhymes.

It's time well spent, she said, based on the reaction of children and parents who have read her picture book.

"When parents tell me that 'Read Island' is the only book their kid requests at night," she said, "I feel like I've won the lottery."

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Magistro, a Hoover High graduate, is bringing her joy of writing and reading to local students this week. The Colorado resident also will be signing copies of "Read Island" from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 9) at The Wise Owl, 4409 Whipple Ave. NW in Jackson Township.

Magistro was also scheduled to spend time Wednesday at Northwood Elementary in North Canton, where she attended school as a child. A presentation is planned for Thursday at Canton Country Day School in Plain Township.

"I am excited to meet more kids and connect with them, to share with them what it's like to find a life and a career in books, as I have," she wrote in an email response to questions. "I hope to inspire a few kids to practice their writing, refine it, and give them hope that one day they might see it in print. To remind them that it's worth pursuing their ideas, and that even when dreams take a long time, they often come true."

North Canton Public Library also will present "Read Island" during "Reading Round-Up" for preschoolers from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 10.

Jamie Macris, head of the library's children's reading department, said she's excited to be featuring Magistro's book.

"Not only is the book a lovely story about the adventures gained by reading, but it is written by a former Hoover graduate who genuinely expressed her enthusiasm to share her story with her hometown," Macris said.

Magistro owned bookstore before writing children's book

Magistro is the winner of the Colorado Book Award for children's literature and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Spark Honor Award.

Sharing in the recognition is the illustrator of "Read Island," Alice Feagan, who paired colorful imagery with the story.

Magistro, 43, was born in Kansas City and lived in Colorado before returning with her parents to their home state of Ohio. After living in Carrollton, they moved to North Canton in 1987.

The 1997 Hoover graduate attended the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University as an undergraduate and for graduate school.

Settling in Vail, Colorado with her husband, Magistro owned and operated an indie bookstore before selling it in 2020 and returning to writing. She also works as a bookstore consultant.

Her writing background also includes time as a summer intern at The Canton Repository, as well as writing for magazines and lifestyle publications, including feature pieces about food and wine.

Books are 'the medium for imagination'

A fan of picture books "that speak equally to adults and children," Magistro said she hopes "Read Island" shares that trait.

Drawing on her experience with story time at the bookstore and while writing countless book reviews, "I felt I knew what made a good read aloud, and what didn't," she wrote.

"To me, books can take you anywhere," Magistro said. "They're not just something you interact with in the classroom or the library (or bookstore). They're the medium for imagination. And this was especially clear to me during lockdown, when we couldn't go anywhere unless it was within the confines of our own minds."

"Read Island" is about a girl and her furry friends who go on adventure sailing to a magical island made of books. On the way, the group discovers a collection of animals, including sea wolves, humpback whales and spirit bears.

The picture book can be purchased online at https://www.myreadisland.com/products/read-island-the-picture-book and https://www.amazon.com/Read-Island-Nicole-Magistro/dp/1736523309. The book is also at the North Canton Library and sold at The Wise Owl.

Writing a picture book for children was especially challenging because there are so few words, Magistro said.

"Every word has to be perfectly selected for its quality and emotional effect," she wrote. "It's a game of precision."

Feagan, the illustrator, layered more than 20 classic children's stories into the art, "so you can go back to the book as a seek-and-find, searching for clues that point you to 'The Wizard of Oz,' 'Alice in Wonderland' and even 'The Odyssey,'" Magistro said.

"Read Island," written in rhymes, also helps build early literacy skills, she said.

Magistro is now working on "several new stories about nature and our connection to it in childhood," the author said. "... I hope they'll reach new audiences and address a lot of relevant topics in the social-emotional and environmental lives of kids."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Hoover grad, author Nicole Magistro to shares story with kids