Norwalk author writes inspirational blog, books

NORWALK — Giving encouragement, whether in the classroom or through her writing, seems to come naturally for Dora Wilbur. The Norwalk resident recently got her chance to become a published author with three independently published books coming out within the past year that each has inspirational themes. But before that, she was an educator who taught for 34 years and retired in 2019. Wilbur taught at Edison Schools for 29 years, primarily working with third-, fourth- and fifth-graders, many of whom had disabilities. She also taught in Illinois and at Margaretta Schools during her career. Wilbur most enjoyed interacting with her students. "They're pretty sincere, and they still love their teachers at that point," she said. "Edison was an amazing school district to get the privilege to teach at." At first, her writing projects started small. For about six years, she's kept an online blog, called "Renew your Mind." Entries often weave together passages from the Bible with Wilbur's life experiences and observations. Her most recent post from Oct. 31, for example, talks about the power of positive thinking. When Wilbur uses her social networking page to share her posts, people sometimes ask about specific entries concerning topics, like fear and worry, to get advice. "The blog is meant to give encouragement," the 1981 Margaretta graduate said. "Let's face it: The world is a hard place. I just felt like I had to encourage people and let people know there's a God that cares about them." But the uplifting messages didn't stop there. Wilbur's first book, "Lessons From Amy," which debuted last fall, is about a girl with Down Syndrome who died at 10 years old about 50 years ago. A relative of Wilbur's knew Amy's elderly mother, Lois, who wanted a book written about Amy. "She has a great memory of her daughter," Wilbur said. Although the book was intended to encourage mothers of children with disabilities, Wilbur discovered that any adult can be inspired by Amy's life. "Being a teacher, every child has a challenge, whether in academics or socially," she said. "Even though I limited the book to that focus, I think God opened that door for people who needed encouragement." Coincidentally, the day that Wilbur delivered a copy of the book to Lois was on the anniversary of her daughter's death. "It's a neat way things come together when you don't expect things to come together that way," Wilbur said. Becoming a children's author Fast forward one year, and Wilbur's two children's books were published this fall. She's dreamed of writing them for several years. Both focus on a boy, Benjamin; his dog, Bon Bon; and their summer and winter adventures, respectively. Though he doesn't speak aloud, children can read Bon Bon's thoughts throughout the books. The names of the main characters were inspired by Wilbur's family; Benjamin is the name of Dora's great-nephew, and Bon-Bon is the nickname Benjamin gave his older brother, Zachary. "That stuck with me because it's so cute," she said. Additionally, the puppies in both books have names and character traits of Wilbur's nieces and nephews. From their adventures in each book, Benjamin and Bon Bon teach children about friendship and dreaming big. By the end of the books, the pair share the same thoughts, like wanting to snuggle inside after being outside in the snow. Each of Wilbur's three books are independently published by a company in Tennessee. That way, she can own her books. "I wanted to be able to write what was true to me, and the idea of restoring the joy of children was my goal. I didn't want someone to tell me what was relevant to write about," she said. Izzy Bean illustrated Wilbur's children's books. It was Wilbur's publisher that suggested she use Bean to make her stories come to life. Bean lives in England, so she and Wilbur communicate frequently via email. "I tell her how I want a page to look, and she does it beautifully," Wilbur said. One picture that Bean illustrated was of a snowball fight between Bon Bon and a cat in one of Bon Bon's dreams. She made the cat look like it was having fun and not afraid. "She captures emotions well," Wilbur said of Bean's work. Wilbur said hopes to have two more Benjamin and Bon Bon books, for fall and spring, completed soon. Going public Soon after her children's books were published, Wilbur recently introduced them to students attending Norwalk Schools' Maplehurst Elementary. Through her interactive presentations, she seeks to teach children about self-confidence, trying new things and other important life lessons. "When I go to schools, I use the pictures to give examples about how to show kindness," Wilbur said. "I'm not teaching anti-bullying. I'm teaching them to be kind. "And of course, I'm a reading teacher, so I'm teaching reading," she said. Wilbur has more upcoming presentations lined up at Edison, Monroeville and Loudonville schools. "It's my hope that I can go back to schools that impacted me or taught me," she said. Wilbur will also take her book tour to local libraries. She's scheduled to appear at the Bellevue Library from 5-8 p.m. Dec. 16; the Milan Library at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 21; and at the Berlin Heights Library for children at 6 p.m. Jan. 24 and 6:30 p.m. Jan. 27 for adults. She's open for presentations at book clubs, schools and libraries and can be contacted by emailing dora.wilbur2015@gmail.com. Wilbur's books are available on Amazon, at Books A Million and on her website at dwilbur.com. Reach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com and follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood