Is that Isaac Ginter on page 3!?

Kaiten Critchlow/Neepawa Press 

Kelwood resident and NACI Grade 9 student Isaac Ginter peruses “Liam's Magic Rocket”, a recently published book featuring his illustrations. The Ginter family connected with the book's author through an internet group for Canadians who have been affected by traumatic brain injuries.

Kelwood youth has illustrations published 

By Kaiten Critchlow 

Neepawa Press

A Kelwood youngster with dreams of getting into the graphic arts industry is getting an early start in his illustration career.

Isaac Ginter, a Kelwood resident and Grade 9 student at NACI, has had his illustrations published in a book being sold worldwide titled “Liam’s Magic Rocket”. The book is inspired by a child’s questions about God and was written by Daniela Aum, a Toronto-based author.

Aum initially wrote the book after being “stumped” by a child’s questions about God. Shortly after putting her thoughts on paper, Aum decided illustrations would add to her story and sent out an open invitation to youth to enter their drawings.

In the meantime, Isaac’s mother Jodi had been talking with Aum through a web-based group for Canadians affected by traumatic brain injury. Isaac’s younger brother Sam is a traumatic brain injury survivor, just as Aum is.

Aum passed on the invitation to Isaac and he decided to enter an illustration for one page of the book. After Aum saw it she opted to ask Isaac for a few more of his drawings.

“At first I wanted this book’s illustrations to be a compilation of several children’s illustrations but there was no cohesiveness and it just didn’t work,” Aum said in an e-mail interview.

“Isaac stood out for several reasons. Besides having great technical skill, his work has a clever, sometimes comedic innocence to it that really melted my heart. 

“The way he visually translated the message was sweet, touching and a few images made me laugh and tear up at the same time.”

When Isaac got word he had been chosen as the sole illustrator for the project he couldn’t believe it.

“I was excited but kind of stunned at the same time because I didn’t think what I drew was that good,” a humble Isaac said.

The young illustrator spent his spare time over a three-week period putting together more illustrations to complement Aum’s story. In the end, the author said Isaac’s final pieces were even better than she anticipated.

“He did a fabulous job and with practically no direction from me,” Aum said.

Isaac’s mom Jodi is just as elated about her son having his work published and the proud mom has already purchased seven copies of the book. Jodi said she hopes to donate copies of the book to Neepawa’s public library and H.M.K.’s library as well.

For anyone wanting to see Isaac’s work in print, a free online version of the book is available for viewing at www.blurb.com/books/2891936. The hard copy of the book can also be purchased from the site at-cost.

Jodi also keeps a blog at visibleangels.blogspot.com about her family’s journey with brain injury since her son Sam’s accident.

Isaac plans to become a graphic artist specializing in video games after high school.