Inspired and encouraged by his two granddaughters, Dennis Marcoux, decided to write his first children's book, "Adventures of Nutty and Twittles, Oh Nuts! I Lost My Little Sister!" Published by Halo Publishing International, the book characterizes forest animals and includes a teaching element for children centered on listening to adults and learning safety.
"I want kids to be encouraged to get something out of the book more than just a story. I want them to learn a moral," says the retired 68-year-old Cape Coral man. He also wants them, including his nine grandchildren, to read more because he believes it is not encouraged as much as it should be in our culture. Marcoux says reading is important because it ultimately leads to greater creativity. He compares his philosophy on reading like playing dominos. "Reading leads to imagination, that leads to ideas, and ideas lead to creativity. You can't get to the last domino until you start the first one," he says. For Marcoux, he has always been interested in the creativity of the arts. He's dabbled in commercials and small stage acting. He says his writing days started in elementary school, but had no purpose. That changed in 2000 with the birth of his mentally challenged granddaughter, Ellie Rose. He wrote a short poem about the love he witnessed between his wife and daughter for this newborn baby. Family members loved the poem, and from that point on he says his writing had a purpose.Videos