Timothy Basil Ering’s Journey From Orleans Elementary Student To Author And Illustrator

ORLEANS – When Timothy Basil Ering walked through the doors of Orleans Elementary School last week, he brought plenty of energy and enthusiasm with him. 

 That’s often the case when the author and illustrator visits schools, but this one carried special significance for Ering. When he stood in front of a cafeteria full of third, fourth and fifth graders last Thursday night, it reminded him of his days as a young student at the school.

 “Mrs. Hunt, she was our librarian,” Ering, a 1983 graduate of Nauset Regional High School, reminisced ahead of the presentation. “I remember sitting down criss crossed…and she would tell us ‘This is the author, this is the illustrator’ before she read us a little book. She showed us books that won the Newbery or the Caldecott [awards]. She showed us the medals and everything. I remember that.”

 Decades later, Ering is a celebrated children’s author and illustrator, having written five books and illustrated more than 20. His work has been read by children the world over, and he’s made presentations to students and schools just as far. It’s been what he calls “Forrest Gump adventure,” one that began when he was a young kid who simply had a passion for drawing.

 “I just remember enjoying the act of drawing,” he said. “I remember getting a chance to draw, when I took that time, and thinking ‘I really enjoy drawing. It’s a fun experience. It makes me comfortable or whatever.’”

 After graduating high school, Ering served four years in the U.S. Navy. He traveled the world, and while he loved the experience, he said he never saw himself becoming a career Navy man. Instead, he wanted to try and make a career out of drawing.

 While attending Grossmont College in San Diego, he met a recruiter from the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif. He gained admission to the school, which put him in the company of some of the most talented art students in the country.

 “It actually was almost intimidating when I first went up there to visit,” he recalled. “The student gallery looked like ‘Are you kidding? These are students?’ The work was professional, and I literally had to use the power of positive thinking and bravery to say ‘Stick with it. You can do this.’”

 Ering would go on to graduate, after which he spent some time doing illustrations for magazines and newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times. But he felt his work could make a more lasting impression in books. The books he has written and illustrated have earned him acclaim around the globe. One of them, “Necks Out For Adventure,” was once seriously pursued by Dreamworks and other film studios for adaptation into a feature film. 

 “When I met [the staff at Dreamworks], they slid another book of mine, ‘The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone,’ across the table and said ‘We’ve had this in the studio since it came out.’”

 Martha Jenkins, a literacy interventionist at the elementary school, said last week’s presentation was held to coincide with Family Literacy Month, which is recognized each year in November. Ering’s success, as well as his enthusiasm for writing, drawing and working with students, made him a perfect fit, she said.

“He’s very engaging,” she said. “He’s a lot of fun to even just play phone tag with. He’s just one of those people. You just feel immediately comfortable with him.”

At one point during Ering’s multimedia presentation to students and parents, a slide appeared on the screen.

“Each of you are very, very capable of doing great things,” it read. For Ering, whose earliest days in school at OES helped foster his love of drawing, the words held great meaning.

“I’ve told kids ‘I am proof that it is possible for any one of you to do this,’” he said.