A chance encounter between a Manitou Beach mentor and a group of youngsters at a community event has led to some wonderful results. Three brothers and a sidekick gathered with David Schleich, a dedicated teacher and professor who now resides at Manitou Beach. That union produced countless imaginative stories, and ultimately a book that is scheduled to be launched as a part of the Watrous/Manitou Beach Winterfest. The Amazing Adventures of the Gallumphing Gobbler makes its debut at the Watrous Library on Friday, February 23 from 3 to 5 pm as part of the seasonal festival. 

Schleich recalls the first serendipitous meeting with Konnor, Ryker and Reign Jones, three of the energetic kids running around the dancefloor at Manitou Beach’s iconic Danceland while their parents were engaged in a public meeting. In an effort to calm the furor, Schleich pulled the group of children aside for an impromptu story telling session.  

“It got quiet in there, so it worked,” recalls Schleich. “One of the stories that resonated with the kids was a story I’ve told my own kids was the ‘Gallumphing Gobbler.’ They loved it, and then I got them feeding back their imaginative response to the character so they could make their own stories.” 

That chance encounter led to an ongoing project, where Schleich and the boys, with their friend Cohen Bojda, would get together while their parents were at the naturopathic medical practice of Schleich’s wife, Dr. Sussanna Czeranko. Scheich and the boys revisited the Gallumphing Gobbler, the character inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky, and recalled many details of the stories months earlier. Schleich’s Socratic questioning drew out an entirely new and original narrative from the boys. David jotted down notes, and on subsequent visits, the full details of what would become the book emerged.  

The homeschooled brothers were joined by young Cohen Bojda in a string of adventures including treasure hunts and puzzles, all designed to hone their imaginations and stimulate creativity around storytelling. Schleich characterizes the quartet as incredibly bright, inquisitive and creative on a scale beyond their years.  

Schleich had been an editor for a major literary journal and began shopping around for a prospective publisher. The highly competitive nature of children’s and young adult literature made it tough to land a literary publisher. A self-publishing interest undertook the project with the proceeds of sales going to cost recovery on the book. The balance of the money goes to the Jones brothers and Bojda as authors.  

Schleich has an exciting afternoon planned with his proteges at the Watrous Library. 

“We’ll have kids come together, and I’ll make it highly interactive with all sorts of things to do. One of the features will be these little boys telling their story, and there will be big display boards showing the book, and telling kids that they can be extremely creative too. They can make up their own stories, and if they really want to, even make up their own book.” 

The book event is part of the Winterfest package running from February 18-24 in Watrous and Manitou Beach.