Illustrator Nancy Glon visited Sacred Heart Catholic School Wednesday morning to share her work with the students.
Glon has illustrated several children's books, including one titled "Apples for Life" written by Adán Zepeda.
Glon's visit was extra special for two students as she is the great-grandmother of third-grader Dawson Vilamaa and pre-kindergarten student Dalaney Vilamaa.
"I have always been in the art field," said Glon. "I have always been interested in it."
For 14 years, Glon, of Goshen, was a paraprofessional at Wawasee Schools. Whenever anyone needed any artwork, she was more than happy to oblige.
She had known Zepeda through church. When he wrote a book and was looking for an illustrator, Glon offered her services.
Their first book together was published in April 1996, and they've worked together since. Their books are not only published in English, but also in Spanish.
"Apples for Life" tells the factual process of the growth of apple trees from the time they are planted in the spring to the harvesting of the apples in the fall.
Glon said she and Zepeda are working on a four-book series together now. It's about a mouse family that survives a flood in Mississippi. The first book was released in 2003 and is titled "The Mouse Ark". Books two and three are "The Land of Cheese" and "The Land of Crows". Glon just started working on the illustrations for the fourth book, "Papa's Story", as the story is already written.
Glon said it took her 2-1/2 years to draw the pictures for "The Land of Crows".
She said it's been great working with Zepeda. Zepeda was born in Ricardo, Texas, in 1935. In 1973, he and his wife moved to Goshen. His first book published, in Spanish, was "Lagrimas y Sonrisas", a poetry book for adults.
"He's just a very creative person," Glon said.
In 1996, Glon and Zepeda received a purchase award for "Apples for Life" for both content and illustrations at the Oakwood Fine Arts Festival in Syracuse. In May 2003, Purdue University selected the book and developed a unit on capital resources, an economics program, to be used in the classroom.
Zepeda isn't the only author Glon has worked with.
She illustrated the book "The Little Fir" for Jim Naile, and also illustrated the book "Little Field on the Corner". She's also illustrated works for others, but whose books did not end up being published.According to Sacred Heart Principal Jim Faroh, Glon is a writer who draws, paints, designs cards, teaches calligraphy, addresses wedding invitations and "does anything in the world of creativity."
When introducing Glon to the students, Faroh said, "Her presentation will help inspire young writers and illustrators. She will provide the important links between ideas and published works."
