Published: October 21, 2009 10:33 pm      

The Fine Print: Local teacher publishes children’s bedtime story into a book

Making up stories for his children at bedtime has turned into a side career for Greenacres Elementary School teacher and New Albany resident Dixon Romney.

Romney recently had one of his about 15 stories published into a children’s book titled: “Who’s Calling Now? Dr. Higgins and the Story of Mrs. Bea.”

The story follows Dr. Higgins as he helps Mrs. Bea’s son, who is ill. Clues throughout the story hint at who Mrs. Bea and her son are, but they are finally revealed in the end to be a family of beavers.

“I was thrilled [to get published] because it was exciting to think that my book would make it possible for other parents to share these stories that are just fun and educational, because there is no indication to who the character is besides the problem and the environment of where the character is,” he said.

Mrs. Bea’s story took place underwater, where her son’s teeth were growing too long. The doctor ordered her to give her son a more varied diet, including twigs and branches to help file down his teeth.

Romney said all the problems in his books are real ones those animals can have. Over the years, Romney has told this story and other tales of the doctor’s journeys to his children and their friends.

“My wife finally said you have to write these down. They were just all in my head,” Romney said. “I submitted it to Tate Publishing and they agreed to do the first book to see how well it did and it’s just taken off from there.”

If this book sells well, he said Tate will publish more of the books he’s written, which include the characters Mr. Lee and Mrs. Clucker.

“Having written a book and having it published now has given me more confidence to express the stories that are inside of me,” Romney said. “I’m excited to see this book in print, but to me the joy is still in telling the story.

“The real pleasure is in telling the story and watching kids faces as they try to figure out the animal.”

His students are excited to have a published author as a teacher.

“We didn’t believe him and he pulled out the book and it was a surprise,” 11-year-old Jeremy Moore said. “It’s awesome, because we have a very famous person in our classroom.”

“I thought it was pretty cool, because I never had a teacher who wrote a book and published it,” Kayla Ash, 10, said.

Moore said he thinks it may help improve his writing.

“He can make us better writers,” Moore said. “He can make all the corrections because he knows everything.”

Romney said his ultimate hope is to eventually write and illustrate his own book. His published book was illustrated by someone else.

Romney said his book is available for sale at Barnes & Noble, www.amazon.com and at www.tatepublishing.com.