There’s certainly something to be said about the importance and enriching nature of books in children’s lives, but when you also look at the creativity that comes from personal storytelling for them, that’s a truly beautiful thing.
According to CNN.com, an 8-year-old boy named Dillon Helbig from Boise, Idaho, had such a love of comic books and graphic novels that he wrote his very own and decided to take a chance and stick it on the shelves of his local library.
The Ada Community Library shared Dillon’s book on a Facebook post, showcasing a photo of what he wrote on the front of his graphic novel, which he cleverly titled The Adventures of Dillon’s Crismis by Dillon His Self.
The Lake Hazel Branch of the Ada Community Library divulged that Dillon’s graphic novel is quite an impressive feat, as it’s 88 pages in length with color illustrations. When the library staff found Dillon’s book, they decided to make it a part of their nearly 50,000-book catalogue so individuals of all ages could check it out for a read.
Dillon’s book is holiday-themed, and it’s actually not his first, as Dillon’s dad, Alex Helbig, told CNN. His son has written close to 10 comic books in his life thus far, with the one he left in the library stacks being his largest project to date.
KTVB reports that this storytelling project came about when Dillon took an empty red journal that his grandmother had gifted him and decided to fill the pages with his very own Christmas tale in just a couple of days.
If you’re curious about what kind of story he wrote and who is involved in Dillon’s comic book, the story very colorfully includes Dillon, his mom, Santa Claus, and a giant turkey.
CNN notes that you will find everything from “an exploding tree-topper to time travel” in Dillon’s book, and the giant turkey may or may not come into play when Dillon is transported back in time to 1621 to the very first Thanksgiving, which is a date he fact-checked with his parents.
Dillon’s mom, Susan Helbig, wasn’t surprised that her son had written such a creative comic book all on his own, but she wasn’t aware that he had hopes of leaving it in the library for others to read.
“I’ve been wanting to put a book in the library since I was five,” Dillon tells KTVB. The second grader notes that there were quite a few librarians and people he had to sneak past in order to get to the stacks, so he moved quickly and cleverly concealed the book with his hands and body.
“With him putting it in the library, we weren’t surprised that he did anything like that. When he wants to make something happen, he makes something happen,” Alex Helbig told CNN.
A librarian working at the Lake Hazel Branch told KTVB that one of them found Dillon’s comic book in the “Stories” section of the stacks, and they all were immediately impressed because “every page is illustrated” and they thought it was a “good story.”
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Dillon’s comic book has become quite a sought-after read as well. In February 2022, CNN reported that there were 135 people on the waiting list to check out his book, which, if each person kept it for approximately two weeks, could become a five-year-long wait for some.
During a video interview on the Tamron Hall show, Dillon told the TV host that he’s currently working on a sequel to his Christmas tale, so who really knows what’s to come down the line for Dillon’s very promising writing career?
