What started out as a 250-word creative writing assignment, written by an 11-year-old, gradually evolved into his 250-page children’s book. Author Brian Abela tells Claudia Calleja how the birth of his son, Eric – who has a rare syndrome – gave him the push he needed to publish The Ponds of Wonder, which he is now sharing with children to instil in them a passion for reading.

When Brian Abela’s Grade 7 teacher asked the class to write a one-page story about whatever they wanted, he sat at his desk with his blank foolscap in front of him. Then an idea popped into his mind – a story of adventure and magical realms.

That was the day he started the story he is still telling today – to encourage children to read.

“I never thought I’d be considered a writer. Funnily enough, till this day, I still remember so clearly how it started. I had received the assignment. We were left to our own devices. I remember coming up with the idea of these ponds that would take the main character, Tom, to different realms. However, at the time, I hadn’t figured out what would happen to him when he got there. I had written an extremely basic version of the story that it is today,” he recalls.
“I still remember getting it back after it was corrected and seeing an A at the top of the page. It felt great. It was a story that remained at the back of my mind all this time,” says Brian, who recently turned 45.

A dormant story
As a child, who was raised by Maltese parents in Canada, Brian always loved reading and particularly enjoyed science fiction, fantasy and comic books.
Back then, there wasn’t the computer technology there is today. This meant he entertained himself in three ways as a child: playing in the street outside his home, watching television… and reading.

Brian was always interested in learning and education. As the years rolled on, he graduated from high school and university in Canada, emigrated to Malta at the age of 23, where he finished his training in education, and became a primary school teacher.

The story about the magic ponds remained simmering at the back of his mind. “It didn’t disappear. But for many years, it never felt it was the right time to write it. I never really had the time,” he says.

“It only started to re-flourish once I got into a classroom environment and started to teach children. This time, I was on the other side of the desk, giving the assignment,” says Brian, who today is an assistant head at San Anton School.

Imagination unleashed
During his years teaching in primary school, he often gave his students the assignment he was given in Grade 7 – to write any story they liked. And just as this had unleashed his imagination, the same happened in his classroom.

He recalls how, one time, he placed a classroom chair on a desk in the middle of the room and told his students that it was a “marvellous magic chair”. Every pupil took a turn to sit on it and share their own magical journey. He then asked them to write a short story about their adventure.

“A few weeks back, I was clearing some storage boxes. I came across this collection of stories called The Marvellous Magic Chair. The father of a student I had taught had bound them all together. Those students are adults now. I posted it on Facebook. Many remembered the lesson and had enjoyed the activity. Thinking about it puts a smile on my face,” he says.

As Brian saw how the magic of storytelling fuelled his students’ imagination, he started thinking more and more about the story of the magic ponds. “I started typing away. I wrote the first chapter. Then I redrafted it about three or four times,” he says.

The birth of Eric
Then, in 2006, he got the push he needed. That year, his wife, Claudine, gave birth to their son Eric.

Eric, who is now nine years old, was born three months premature and is visually impaired. When he was five years old, they were told he had a very rare condition called Mowat Wilson Syndrome [MWS].

“Over the short span of his young life, Eric has had to undergo a number of medical interventions, painful treatments and extreme challenges in reaching milestones that every typically developing child can easily achieve. Eric needs continuous therapy for his core development,” Brian says.

Seeing his young son soldier through inspired him to keep going and, in 2011, The Ponds of Wonder was finally published, with illustrations by Danny Coleiro.
Throughout the writing journey, Claudine, who is also an educator, supported his desire and provided a sounding board for the ideas he exchanged with her in order to offer his readers a well-rounded story.

‘‘It was wonderful to watch Brian sit at his computer and type away. His passion for getting children to enjoy reading is second only to the passion he has for his son’s development,” she says.

The book tells the story of Tom and his best friend Ben. The two embark on an adventure of a lifetime when Tom receives a mysterious painting from a missing relative.

Brian notes that, as he was writing the story, the teacher inside him had a lot to say. “There are moments in the story when it’s clearly the teacher in me talking. Even the idea of respect shines through – I’m very big on that. I often tell my students: ‘What’s Mr Brian’s favourite word?’ They answer: ‘Respect.’ I respond: ‘Great, now you know it, it’s time to show it.’”

Any schools wishing to participate in the Books for School Library Project, or anyone interested in learning more about the story can visit www.thepondsofwonder.com

This story first appeared in last weekend's edition of Pink magazine.