“Scottosaurus, the Little Dinosaur,” is a children’s book by former Douglas High School English teacher Lucinda Sage-Midgorden, and llustrated by her husband, Barry Midgorden.
 Lucinda Sage-Midgorden, writer, and Barry Midgorden, illustrator, have published a children’s book, “Scottosaurus the Little Dinosaur.” The self-published book is now available to the public. (Ed Honda•Wick News Service) |
“The first printing was a two-copy edition, strictly hand-made as a gift for our then 6-year-old nephew, said Barry Midgorden. “We made one copy for him and one copy for us.”
That was in 1989, when they lived in Oregon. At the time they gave the book to their nephew, the couple had no plans of publishing it.
“This is a story about a little dinosaur who is lost, but doesn’t know it,” said Lucinda.
When Scottosaurus, who lives alone in a mountain cave by a lake, makes friends with another dinosaur named Jonosaurus, he learns that all creatures have parents.
He sees his friend’s parents, which makes Scottosaurus wonder about his own roots. What happened to his family?
Seeing his reflection in a pool of water, Scottosaurus realizes that his friend and other dinosaurs in the area don’t look like him, prompting him to search for his parents. He embarks on a journey that takes him to far-away places where he meets other dinosaurs and is warned about the dangerous Tyrannosaurus Rex. The book teaches self-reliance and inner-strength.
Through the years, when Sage-Midgorden would show the book to friends and family, “they loved it,” she said. “They always encouraged us to get it published.”
Much to her surprise, teenagers shared that enthusiasm for the story. “I was teaching a drama class at Buena High School and read the book to my students and was surprised by how much kids that age loved it,” she said. “I think it’s because teenagers can relate to being lost. Actually, we all can.”
She believes that the book’s underlying message, “we all have the power to find our way home” from difficult situations, is the basis for its enthusiastic response, even among teenage audiences.
“Their reaction made me rethink my decision to publish it,” Sage-Midgorden said.
When Barry Midgorden, who is a graphic designer for the City of Sierra Vista, illustrated the original edition, he started out with line drawings. “That was back in the early days of desktop publishing,” he said. “I scanned the line drawings into the computer and combined them with the text. The finished layout was printed in black and white, on water color paper and then hand-painted.”
Along with his graphic design work at Cochise College, Midgorden teaches pottery and drawing classes for Parks and Leisure Services and is a digital imaging instructor for Cochise College.
A former drama teacher, first at Buena, then at Douglas High school, Sage-Midgorden is now a part-time associate faculty member at Cochise College in Douglas. She has always enjoyed writing and has maintained a journal for years. “Once we were serious about publishing the book, we decided to self-publish it,” she said. The couple is already planning a sequel and they hope this is the start of several books they will publish together.
Where to buy it
Published in mid-February, “Scottosaurus the Little Dinosaur” retails for $12.99 and is available for on-demand printing at CreateSpace by going to www.createspace.com/3410265.
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