The Rappin’, Rhymin’ World Of Gary Wakstein

For Gary Wakstein, rhyming was like a second language — one that he spoke fluently — but it wasn’t until later in life that he chose to turn it into a full-fledged career.

Today, Wakstein is widely known as G Pa Rhymes, a children’s author of a five-book series and a performer with the mission to “help children grow into compassionate, confident, empathetic humans — one rhyme at a time.” 

But he wasn’t always in the rhyming business. 

For over 50 years, Wakstein was a restaurateur in the Boston area. In the early ‘80s he opened TGI Fridays around the state, back “when it was a good concept,” he said. In the ‘90s he ran Serendipity 3 out of Faneuil Hall for around 10 years and did a season at Horizons on the Bay in Sandwich in 2016 as a “retirement gig.” Then COVID-19 hit and forced him to take a step back from the industry. 

At the time he had just finished printing his first book. The idea behind writing a children’s book started one night during storytime with his grandsons. His son, Tyler, gave him the nudge he needed to pursue inspiration for the story. 

“My son exclaimed, ‘Dad, you’re a rappin’, rhymin’ storyteller — you should write children’s books and share your magic,’” he said. 

Wakstein grew up with the rhyming talent. From a young age, he was always rhyming in his head to drown out the noise. 

“I have ADHD, and one of the things that I do to calm my mind is I spend all my time rhyming words in my head,” he said. 

During his restaurant career, Wakstein was posting his own rhymes on social media, garnering a small following. He also was in charge of his high school reunion, which he called his own built-in audience. 

“I had a following already on Facebook and Instagram,” he said. “And my friend group, I mean, I went to high school with 600 kids, and I'm in charge of my high school reunion, so I kind of already had a built-in friend group. We have grandkids, you know?”

He leveraged his inner circle as a way to test his books, to see if there was longevity in his first book that could turn into a series.  

Wakstein is originally from Framingham but grew up summering in Harwich at his uncle’s house. By the time his own kids were older, they would meet every summer for two weeks in Brewster to spend time with their extended families. That lasted for about 15 years until Wakstein moved to Sandwich full-time.

It was on the Sandwich Boardwalk that Wakstein was greeted with the subject of his series: a one-clawed crab that he had helped back into the ocean. 

As he watched this crab, who had just lost a claw, overcome the elements, Wakstein knew he would be the perfect protagonist — helping to teach children the life lessons of kindness, tenacity and how change can help one grow. 

In the first story, the reader meets Cray, a crab who pinches a little too much and a little too hard for his friends’ liking. After an accident, Cray loses one of his claws, changing his life forever. Through the adversity, Cray discovers how to be a better friend to those around him. 

“I write children’s books because the world doesn’t outgrow kindness,” he said. “If one child decides to care for the beach, tell the truth, show forgiveness, or ask for help because of Cray’s adventures, then all the hard work is worth it.”

The following four books in the series follow a cast of characters — Fox Hay, Gull Ray, Turtle Fay, Queen Mer May and Farmer Jay — as they set out on adventures, clean up the earth and build long-lasting friendships. 

“One of the reasons I’ve been so successful, I believe,” said Wakstein. “Is because of my illustrator.” 

Wakstein set out on finding the perfect illustrative partner and interviewed over 50 artists for the position. It turned out the one he chose, Erica Leigh, was a friend of one of his former servers from Serendipity 3. Leigh had an art studio in Framingham, which resonated with Wakstein since he was from there. 

He credits much of his success to her illustrations. “I just feel people picked the book up off the shelf at the Brewster General Store because of the cover,” he said. 

Now, with a successful picture-book series on the shelves, he is looking to challenge himself in a new way: a chapter book. The story is already in the works, hopefully to come out early this year with the hopes of reaching a new age range. The book will be primarily for second and third graders and won’t focus on rhyming as much. 

“It’s not a rhyming book,” he said. “But there are rhymes and riddles.”

The story will follow a group of characters, including himself, as they dive into an adventure to save a forgotten garden. The second graders of Sandwich are already promised copies to facilitate group discussions in class. 

Wakstein said that while this was supposed to be his retirement, he’s never been more busy. 

“I'm 68 now,” he said. “My grandkids live in Victor, Idaho and in Asheville, N.C., and it's hard for me to sometimes see them because I feel like I'm working harder than I ever have.” 

While his passion for storytelling has always been there, his relationship with his grandchildren fueled his need to share the messages he had crafted with other kids. And because of that, Wakstein said he has truly found his purpose. 

“I got too many stories to retire,” he said with a laugh. “This went from a passion to a full-blown career.” 

Wakstein’s stories are available at local bookstores. They can also be found online at gparhymes.com/buy-the-books. 

To be the first to know about new releases, follow Wakstein on Facebook and Instagram at @gparhymes.