Children's book inspired by family of Ursuline Academy prekindergartner

“Does this look like anyone in this room?” asked Pat Meiklejohn, showing a classroom of Ursuline prekindergartners the cover of her recently published children’s book, “Already a Hero.”

Upon closer examination of the book’s cover illustration, the students’ answer was unanimous: “That’s Carmela!” they said, pointing to their pony-tailed classmate, Carmela Juan.

Carmela, 5, was the most surprised person in the room. The Oct. 11 reading was the first time the youngster had set eyes on Meiklejohn’s book.
But a few things about Meiklejohn’s story didn’t make sense to the child. Although Carmela saw a definite physical resemblance between herself and the illustrations, the behavior of the cape-wearing, martial arts loving main character – also named Carmela – was not like her at all, she said.

“I don’t karate chop or wear a cape! I don’t do those things,” Carmela insisted during the reading.

“And I never saw a nest before!” she added, when Meiklejohn read the part of the story in which the character of Carmela stops acting like a “superhero” and becomes a genuine hero by taking care of the birds in her backyard.

Meiklejohn explained to Carmela and her classmates that some elements of her story were fictional – or made up. However, the author noted that her story definitely was inspired by the Juan family, whom she had come to know in her former years as an Ursuline early childhood teacher. Carmela’s parents, including her father Jay Jay Juan – an Ursuline science teacher and volleyball coach – also figure into the family-friendly story. Carmela’s grandparents, natives of the Philippines, were a special source of inspiration, Meiklejohn said.

“My family’s from Honduras, so I’m a first-generation American,” Meiklejohn explained. “In Carmela’s family, the parents are first-generation (Americans). I just think it is so special how in many first-generation families the grandparents stay with their children, or not far from them. They all take care of each other.”

“Already a Hero,” featuring illustrations by Kenny Estrella, is Meiklejohn’s first published book. The author, who currently teaches at Judge Lionel Collins Montessori School in Marrero, credits her former Ursuline students for encouraging her to write down the stories she frequently would tell them off the top of her head.

“They wanted to take the stories home to share with their families,” Meiklejohn said. “So I figured if I was going to write it down for them to take home, I might as well just go ahead and publish it (in book form)!”

“Already a Hero” can be ordered online at www.amazon.com and www.barnsandnoble.com.
To schedule a reading, contact Meiklejohn at (504) 444-1602.