Gloria Barone Rosanio, Jim Rosanio and Payton Leigh Pettit explore the journey of “Allie’s First Halloween on Earth”
“Is this real?”
That is a question that Allie the alien just can’t seem to understand in the children’s book “Allie’s First Halloween on Earth.”
Written by Medford resident Gloria Barone Rosanio, illustrated by her husband Jim Rosanio and inspired by her 7-year-old granddaughter Payton Leigh Pettit, this book takes the reader through the nightly adventure of Allie and its sidekick, the three-eyed cat named Flash.
Throughout their time on Earth, Allie is confused on what things are real and what things are costumes. Not only that, but the other children don’t understand that the alien isn’t in a costume at all.
The idea stemmed from an activity Gloria and Payton created — identifying what things are real and what are not. For example, Payton listed that zombies are not real, but candy is.
Gloria, the author of four other children’s books, thought about that activity afterward and pondered how it could be turned into her next creation.
Writing for “Allie’s First Halloween on Earth” began during the winter months and was completed in March, where it was then handed off to Jim, who created the illustrations. The book was published and finalized in September, just in time for the Halloween season.
Throughout the entire process, Gloria and Jim made sure to check in with Payton for her feedback, to ensure the story appealed to children in her age group.
“I like that she appreciates her grandmother being able to write this,” Jim said. “Her being involved gives her more confidence in being anything she wants to be, and she’s got something special to carry with her.”
With the book best suited for children up to age 8, they also visited Cedar Creek Elementary School in Lanoka Harbor, where Jim grew up, to brainstorm ideas with other school-aged children. One student chimed in, “You should have a three-eyed cat,” and thus, Flash appeared.
Gloria said that they often visit schools during the writing process, and gaining insight is very important to the final project, especially for Halloween — a holiday most children love. She also said that children are intrigued by the book because of the colorful illustrations, repetition and surprise ending.
Fourth-grade students came up with the idea of making Allie gender neutral, exemplifying the true message the book sends, which is allowing others to be themselves.
On Oct. 26, Gloria and Jim set up a “make your own alien” crafting station at Wonder World Toys located on Main Street.
The motive of the event was to celebrate the launch of the book, while allowing children to have fun, be themselves and explore their creative side by making their own unique alien.
“I feel really happy to have come up with a book that’s about a major celebration like Halloween. I just really like the characters, I love the drawings, I love the story,” Gloria said.
“Allie’s First Halloween on Earth” is available for purchase on www.amazon.com.
