"Reading gives me a quiet space" - Gutch Gutierrez
To celebrate National Children’s Book Day, we asked some of our Hiyas authors to answer two simple questions.
These are the answers of one of our newest authors, Gutch Gutierrez, the writer and illustrator of The Last Tree.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF READING?
A quick google search will give extensive lists but there are three that are personal for me:
An exercise of my imagination
I read a lot of fantasy books before but I read slowly because I HAD to see the world, the characters, the action sequences, etc. This was before book to movie adaptations were a thing and before the internet was a part of life so all I had were black words on white pages. It was a mental exercise that eventually contributed to the illustrated stories that I would create myself.
Visual break
Reading gives my eyes and mind rest from visual overload, especially since there are now so many options available from video games, shows, YouTube, and social media. Reading gives me a quiet space to slow down and reflect.
Getting comfortable with my own voice
More than the learning part, I really enjoy the very act of reading. By playing with intonations and emotions, a single phrase could be said in so many ways. This eventually contributed to my vocation as a commercial voice artist, which is something I really love doing.
WHAT’S THE LATEST CHILDREN’S BOOK YOU’VE READ THAT YOU REALLY LIKED?
There’s a monster at the end of this book by Jon Stone and Michael Smollin
I’m usually big on story but, as a father, reading with my son taught me to enjoy the interactive experience of a children’s story. This one is exciting and hilarious and introduced me to a unique way of going through an illustrated book. (It also helps that I can do Grover’s voice.)
About the Author:
Gutch Gutierrez works as a commercial voice actor. His first book won the Kids’ Choice Award in the National Children’s Book Awards in 2014.
His first book with Hiyas, The Last Tree, is now available for pre-order at our online store, passagesbooks.com.
