New England College may seem like an extremely small school, but at the same time it can encompass our entire world. When we have a community member, co-worker, and friend reach outside of the bubble, and make contributions to larger society, we must celebrate it.
Joanne Randall is from New Hampshire and works in the New England College Admissions department, assisting with day-to-day tasks and events. She’s a mother, wife and friend. Joanne just recently published her first children’s book, and let me be the first to say it: it’s really good.
The Adventures of Largo and Shelby is about a turtle’s trip home from school. The story is interesting because it shows how difficult it is to be different, or to not be as good at something as others. It’s relatable because the turtle, Largo, has to meander his way home from school, while his classmates of different species are able to go home at different speeds. Largo is frustrated because his friends won’t wait for him, they speed home at their own pace. The reader feels sympathy for Largo, because he can’t keep up with his friends. Largo gets upset that he is always late to dinner, until he stumbles upon his turtle friend, Shelby. Shelby is feeling a similar frustration to what Largo feels, but when they both are able to walk home together they start to find comfort in the fact that they can keep each other company.
So, how does a story like this come to life?
Joanne wrote the story down and left it alone for approximately five years after telling it to her son. She always wanted to publish a book, but not a children’s book initially, “I have [had] plans to write a business, marketing, or leadership related book, since that is my field.” After telling Largo’s story, she mentioned that there is thought of another book being published about a character that made an appearance in The Adventures of Largo and Shelby.
Joanne picked the book back up again because she was in between employment. She had about a four-month period after she sold her business and before she started working for New England College. During this time, she decided to look at projects that she never pursued: “I know others who have published and decided that if they could do it then so could I,”
Largo is a term from Joanne’s musical background. The literal meaning is ‘slow’, which is why the name is so fitting for the main turtle character. She credits her family for assisting in the creative process saying that they “like to come up with funny characters and equally humorous names.” The book is simple, providing room for readers to discover their own takeaways. It is also thought provoking, because Largo has to deal with the feeling that his difference is not as good as the other characters’ differences.
I enjoyed the read, even though it was a children’s book. I also enjoyed the graphics. The illustrations in the book alone sets it apart. Each page is covered with color from illustrations, while the words whimsically dance their way across the page. It keeps things interesting, and slows the reader down, because there’s so much going on and so much to be seen. Joanne credits the illustrations to 5D Creative and Jason McIntosh.
I think that it is a must read for elementary school children. The book is exciting with positive takeaways. It’s not the longest read, or the most suspenseful, but it teaches important lessons, which is the goal of most children’s books. Any well-known or ‘great’ children’s book relays some important underlying message that would seem monotonous if an adult just said it out loud. The take-away that I got from The Adventures of Largo and Shelby is that sometimes it may seems really hard to be different, and it may seem like nobody understands, but someone does understand, and probably shares a similar difference that you have.
This lesson is hard for most kids to understand because it’s complicated. I didn’t understand it until I was eighteen. When I was on crutches because of an ACL reconstruction, I would get nervous going out in public because I didn’t want people to stare at my swollen knee or silver crutches. The Adventures of Largo and Shelby makes it okay to go somewhere at your own pace, to do things at the speed that you must, not what other people may expect you to do.
Joanne credits this lesson to the fact that she is a slow runner while her son is a fast runner, and she wanted her son “to know that being slow is okay because who says being fast is so great?” Largo moves at the pace that he wants to move at, and there is no problem with that, because he will also get home.
This lesson is important because kids feel pressured to go or do things that their parents may want them to do. Or to be whoever everyone else wants them to be, instead of totally accepting themselves for who they actually are. Kids skip the self-acceptance part of life and just continue pushing forward, then they get to a point where they realize they actually just don’t know who exactly they are, which is why this book is also important for young adults to read.
The Adventures of Largo and Shelby teaches small lessons, that are easily misunderstood and overlooked.
“Both kids and adults think there is something wrong with them. We all worry about fitting in and wonder why we are here. Take the thing that makes you different and nourish it. If you do, you will start to see a purpose for why you are different. It is why you’re here,” Joanne said.
She wants readers to understand that, “the thing that you think makes you different is the thing that makes you special, and as you figure out what that looks like, you can give it away as a gift to other and help them find their unique gift.”
Joanne is right, The Adventures of Largo and Shelby truly helps people recognize that sometimes what makes you unique and different is what also makes you loved by so many. We spend most of our lives worrying about what comes next, instead of accepting what we have in the present and just working with it. We forget to admire our own skill sets, which is another take-away I received from this book.
Reach for things that are outside of your comfort zone. Take your own journey, whether it be a sprint or a crawl, you must move forward.
Joanne Randall’s book is exciting for New England College and must be celebrated. Read it closely and carefully, and take in the lessons it has to teach. Share it with your friends, younger family members, and siblings because someone may need to hear its lessons.
