SYRACUSE -- A local author has written a short book designed to prepare young members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for baptism.
Syracuse resident Val Chadwick Bagley has published "I Can't Wait to Be Eight," (Covenant Communications, $14.99). Distributors already have sold 3,000 copies of the book, which came out in October.
The publication is described as a magic book that turns color on each page.
It features a pull-out card on every page that colorizes when it comes out of the book.
Bagley said he came up with the idea for his book while looking at another children's book that used the same concept.
"For a long time, my publisher has been trying to figure out a book for children turning 8 years old," he said. "It was a natural fit. We needed a book, and we wanted to use this concept -- this magic thing."
And Bagley said the idea of keeping the book very simple turned out to be the part that made the project more complicated for him.
"Because it's so simple and there's not much to work with, things on each page had to be interesting, and the things that changed had to be interesting," Bagley said, noting that he worked on this aspect of the book from about February to June last year.
He joked about how the book gets the attention of adults too.
"When adults get it, they say, 'How does it work?' If they really want to know, they can figure it out," he said, admitting that to figure it out himself he had to take apart a page of the book he got the idea from. "I said, 'Oh, now I get it.'"
Five-year-old Joshua Summers, of Hooper, said he liked looking at the book a lot.
"Look at all the colors," he said, pulling out one of the "magical" drawings. "It's fun."
Bagley said the book was printed with the intent of being an "occasion" book, either for a birthday gift or for a child preparing for baptism.
In most Seagull Bookstores the book is placed in the baptism section of the store.
The new publication is only one in a long line of projects Bagley has published for kids of all ages.
He has been self-employed as "The Cartoonist Guy" since 1990.
Previously, he worked full time designing labels and packages.
He has created board books, coloring books, clip-art, card games and other games for Covenant Communications since 1993.
Since 1978, Bagley has been a regular cartoonist for the LDS Church's The New Era magazine, drawing items for "Mormonisms" and "The Extra Smile" sections. He has been an illustrator for the church's Friend magazine since 2000.
Besides his cartoon and book illustration work, Bagley works for the Nightmare on 13th haunted house in Salt Lake City. He designs various rooms in the haunted house.
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