Tim Myers loved dinosaurs as a kid. When Myers’ own sons were children, they loved vehicles. Myers combined his passion for dinosaurs and his sons’ enthusiasm for vehicles, and wrote a book about a humungous car wash for dinosaurs.
On the afternoon of May 19, Myers visited the Santa Clara Library and shared his new book, Down at the Dino Wash Deluxe, with a group of eager young children and their families. As Myers read aloud, the children leaned forward in their seats and took in the fantasy of a boy who helps dinosaurs bathe. After Myers read the book, he shared a West African folktale.
“I love to make up stories and I love to tell stories,” Myers tells his young audience. “I have a lot of books because I love to write.”
In addition to being the author of 11 children’s books, Myers has also written several books for adult readers. A resident of Santa Clara, Myers teaches in the English department at Santa Clara University.
“I love having Tim Myers here,” says Erin Ulrich, program coordinator of youth services at the library. “We haven’t had him here for several years. But he came recently and told us about his new children’s book, and I said, ‘why don’t you come down and do a program?’”
Myers’ visit also coincided with Children’s Book Week, an annual national celebration where children’s literature and authors, such as Myers, are recognized.
“People don’t always understand that someone had written a book and someone had done the pictures, and that there’s a process behind publishing,” Ulrich says. “I think it’s important for children to know who’s writing these stories, for them to know there’s a person behind these books.”