Book by a second grader, snuck into library, inspires kids to write

A disco ball spins rhinestones around a room at the back of the library. Meanwhile, over a rainbow array of art supplies, a couple dozen children are spinning with ideas. 

Dillon Helbig is co-leading this writing workshop in Boise, Idaho, handing out copies of his six-step plan on how to write a book. As a local celebrity author, he would know.

The second grader went viral earlier this year for sneaking his handwritten book, “The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis” by Dillon “His Self,” onto a shelf here at the Ada Community Library, Lake Hazel Branch. Librarians – impressed – slapped a barcode on the spine. Readers raced to check it out, resulting in a wait time of more than five years.

“As you can see, I’m a kid,” he tells the Monitor.

Since his escapade, Dillon has inspired peers to put pencil to paper. Now more kids are crafting original storybooks to share – not just here, but also at school. Librarians are seeking ways to preserve the work of their smallest scribes and encourage the confidence to create. 

“Each one of you is a special and creative kid,” Alex Hartman, the branch manager, tells the room. “You are capable of making incredible things, and people are interested in what you can do.”