By By James Crawford
News Editor
Children's book author Sigel Andy Bowman, affectionately known to his legion of youthful fans as Uncle Siggie, was in town on Monday at Rachel Patterson to perform a skit on character traits and give a speech to the children on the values of reading and having good character.
The skit involved having students read about different character traits and then becoming a part of a "quilt" that represented all the traits that make up an individual. Bowman likened the idea of a quilt and its many individual parts to the many character traits that make up an individual.
Bowman, who traveled from Branson, Ma. also exalted the virtues of reading, telling the children "books are magic, because books are full of knowledge. Boys might read about their favorite hero. Girls might read about their favorite singer. You might read a book about Disneyland and when you do, you can go to that place."
The author of several children's books, including The Quilt, Indian Slim, Robbie Beaver learns a lesson, and his soon to be released "A Soldier Does His Job," Uncle Siggie garnished his nickname and his love of writing for children from his nieces and nephews.
"I've always thought about writing. My nieces and nephews call me Uncle Siggie and so did the kids at the restaurant that I managed, so I just went with it," Bowman said.
"I was looking for a career change and a friend of mine said why don't you write. I told him I could never do that, and he said I could if I wanted to. So, I decided to give it a try," Bowman said.
Bowman's initial book "The Quilt" came from the inspiration of his grandmother who gave each of her children a handmade quilt of love. The story is centered around a similar scenario between a grandmother who comes to visit her granddaughter and through the making of a quilt teaches her important values and helps to give the young girl guidance.
His career in writing has been three years in the making. Aside from his handful of titles that he offers, he also has produced book markers and gives inspirational speeches, such as the one at RP, a service that educators say is time well spent for the children.
"It's great for the children to get to meet an author and it is wonderful that he was able to tie in reading and character traits, the things we try to stress," Rachel Patterson Principal Beth Drew said.
Bowman's books are distributed to schools through educational warehouses and are available to the public from Barnes and Noble's online site, www.bn.com.