Mr. Morales continued. “I want you to make her feel welcome and to listen and treat her with respect. Here she is, the author Cameron Cole.”
As the tall woman walked to the front of the room, my classmates all applauded. They looked as excited and amazed as I was.
First of all, I’d thought Cameron Cole was a man.
Second of all, I never thought I’d meet the author of the dragon book in person!
Once the clapping and cheering stopped, Ms. Cole began to answer students’ questions.
I climbed up to the tippy top of my cage so I had a good view.
“I like to write stories, because I like to use my imagination,” she said. “Does anyone here like that, too?”
Every hand—plus my paw—went up.
She pulled a bright blue notebook out of her bag. “It’s important to keep a notebook,” she said. “I take my notebook everywhere.”
Mrs. Brisbane asked our class to hold up their notebooks.
I was tempted to pull mine out of its hiding place, but in the end, I left it there.
Cameron Cole continued answering questions about dragons.
Yes, she had seen a bearded dragon.
No, she had never seen a huge, fire-breathing dragon like Goldie and she wasn’t sure whether or not they were real.
Yes, she’d loved fairy tales and dragon books when she was growing up.
Then she answered questions about writing.
Holly asked her where she got her ideas. That’s what I wanted to know, too!
Ms. Cole said, “I find them absolutely everywhere! Things that happened to me, things that happened to people I know, things I read in newspapers and books, conversations I overhear. You need to be open to ideas and you’ll find them.”
She paused to glance over at our table and smiled. “I have to admit, I had an imaginary dragon friend when I was little,” she said. “I’m very grateful to him for inspiring me. And I used to lie on the grass and look up at the clouds, imagining there was a secret kingdom with a great big castle up there. That was the beginning of the Gil Goodfriend story.”
Imaginary dragon? That’s a lot like an imaginary bear named Bear! Maybe Carlos will write a book about his friend one day.
“Who knows,” she said, walking over to get a closer look at Gigi, Og and me. “Someday I might even write a book about these adorable animals.”
“Really!” I squeaked. “I write about us all the time!”
Cameron Cole laughed. “This hamster seems to have a lot to say.”
“I DO-DO-DO!” I replied. I could hardly believe I was talking to a real author!
“BOING!” Og added.
“Oh, and the frog has ideas, too.” Ms. Cole chuckled.
“Say something, Gigi,” I told my guinea pig friend.
But Gigi was too shy to squeak.
“Mrs. Brisbane said that you started with a sentence and then a paragraph and ended up with a story,” Cameron Cole said. “That’s exactly what I do when I write a book. So congratulations!”
Then our teacher announced that it was almost time for lunch.
My friends groaned. I think they would have gladly given up lunch to keep talking with Cameron Cole.
She signed our dragon book and my friends’ notebooks.
I wished I could have had her sign my notebook, too.
The time had passed so quickly! My friends left for lunch and Mrs. Brisbane and Ms. Mac took Cameron Cole to the teachers’ lounge for lunch as well.
Aldo stayed behind to talk to us.
“Well, my friends, I don’t usually see you during the day,” he said. “But I learned the author was coming, and one of the subjects I’ll have to teach is writing. She gave me a lot of ideas.”
“Me too, Aldo!” I squeaked.
“I have to start my student teaching soon. That’s where you practice being a teacher in a classroom,” he said. “So wish me luck!”
“Good luck!” I shouted.
“BOING-BOING!” Og twanged.
And Gigi even managed to softly squeal, “Luck!”
After Aldo cleaned that night, I took out my little notebook and read my story by the light of the streetlamp outside the window.
I was a little nervous about reading it. What if I didn’t like it? Would I have to start all over again?
Luckily, the story sounded pretty good to me.
So I opened my lock-that-doesn’t-lock and hurried over to Og’s tank. “Would you like to hear my story?” I asked.
“BOING-BOING!” Og definitely sounded interested.
And so I began to read.
I’ll never forget the day I became the first hamster airline pilot ever! I started my own company, called Flying Hamster Airlines, so I could fly my human friends anywhere they wanted to go.
First, I took Do-It-Now-Daniel to the home of his favorite author, D. D. Denby. I wished I could stay and get some writing tips, but it was time to take Felipe to the theme park. Then I flew my friend Helpful-Holly to Phoebe’s house. Holly helps so many people, I was happy to help her, too.
Next, my zippy plane took Joey to the town where his dad lives. He was glad to get to spend extra time with his dad. But instead of staying in town, Joey and his dad decided to fly along with me.
We whizzed over to Europe so Simon could eat Italian food. I even had a tiny bit of real Italian pizza. Yum! Then I stopped in Paris to take Kelsey to see a ballet. The dancers were so graceful, they practically flew through the air, just like my plane!
I would have stayed in Paris, but I had to fly to Africa. First, I took Rosie to see the pyramids in Egypt. The Sphinx was larger and fiercer than I’d imagined. Then I took Joey and his dad to another part of Africa, where we saw large and colorful creatures. The trumpeting of the elephants and the roars of the lions were sounds I’ll never forget. The zebras looked like someone had taken a brush to paint them black and white. I loved the giraffes and their long necks. They were so tall, I could hardly see their heads.
Next, I flew Sophie to the Island of the Parrots. It was a noisy place, but Sophie loved talking to the birds and they loved her! I wish she could understand my squeaks the way she understands the parrots.
I dropped Cassie off on a quiet beach where she could watch the waves breaking all day long.
I saved the best part of the trip for last. I flew Mrs. Brisbane and her husband to Tokyo. When they surprised their son, Jason, the look on Mrs. Brisbane’s face made me HAPPY-HAPPY-HAPPY.
I have lots more plans for Flying Hamster Airlines. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll fly you to a special place, too!
Og was silent after I finished.
Then he leaped up in his cage and said, “BOING-BOING-BOING-BOING,” before diving into the water side of his tank.
I think he really liked it!
And I really liked reading it to him, because stories are meant to be shared.
“I think maybe Gigi would like it, too,” I said. “But she might be asleep by now.”
Og splashed loudly.
“It could be a bedtime story,” I said.
Clenching the notebook between my teeth, I slid down the table leg and headed toward Room 12.
Gigi wasn’t sound asleep yet. When I asked if she’d like to hear my story, she squealed with happiness.
She squealed even more when I finished. “How did you learn to read and write?” she asked.
“I paid attention in class,” I said. “You should try it, too.”
“I will!” Gigi said.
Then, as I headed back to Room 26, something amazing happened.
My imagination went to work and I thought of a brand-new idea! I couldn’t wait to write it in my notebook.
And that’s the BEST-BEST-BEST feeling in the world!
MY WRITER’S RAMBLINGS<
br />
When I began my story,
I felt a little fright.
But now that I have finished,
I really love to write!
Humphrey’s Top Ten
Tips for Writers
1. Keep a writer’s notebook to jot down your ideas or you might forget them! You don’t have to keep yours hidden, the way I do. It’s good to have it with you most of the time.
2. Brainstorm your story ideas by writing down all your thoughts as fast as you can for five minutes. Don’t stop to judge whether it’s a good idea or not. When you’re finished, you may have a few good ideas (a brainshower) or a lot of GREAT-GREAT-GREAT ideas (a brain blizzard)! But really, all you need is one idea you really like. Write something you’d enjoy reading.
3. Once you have a story you like, brainstorm ideas for a setting and the characters.
4. Now you can work on the story. Your story should have a definite beginning, middle and end. (That might not be as easy as it sounds but you can do it!)
5. Start filling in the details about what is happening to your characters.
6. Add some zing to your writing by using dialogue—make sure your characters don’t all sound the same.
7. The more you write, the better you’ll get. It takes practice, so try to write on a regular basis. The more you read, the better your writing will be. Read a lot of different kinds of books, too!
8. When you’re writing a story, you shouldn’t think about what other people will think of it or whether it will get published. You should only think about making it the best story you can possibly write. That’s all that counts.
9. REVISE-REVISE-REVISE. Each time you go through the story, you have an opportunity to make it better and better. (Cameron Cole said that professional writers revise a lot and I believe her!)
10. Don’t forget that writing is fun! Write something that makes you happy, something you’d like to read, that tells a story only you can tell. Then, my friend, you will realize that writing is really fun!
Photo © Frank Birney
Betty G. Birney has written episodes for numerous children’s television shows, including The New Adventures of Madeline, Doug, and Bobby’s World, as well as after-school specials and a television movie, Mary Christmas. She has won many awards for her television work, including an Emmy, three Humanitas Prizes, and a Writers Guild of America Award.
In addition to the Humphrey books, she is the author of The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs and The Princess and the Peabodys.
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Betty lives in Los Angeles with her husband, an actor.
Find fun Humphrey activities
and teachers’ guides at
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Twitter: @bettybirney
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