Ben Isbister is an eleventh grade student here at Mission High School. Recently there was an event at the Contemporary Jewish Museum where they celebrated students from k-12 who wrote, illustrated and created their very own books.
Ben’s book, The Pebble, won second place in the high school division. SOTA won first place and Lowell won third.
The Ezra Jack Keats bookmaking competition, famously named after the author of The Snowy Day among others, is an annual event. The event had a total of 44 books submitted from 17 schools across SFUSD.
From a recent interview with Ben, he claimed, “The book is a book anyone can enjoy.” It’s about the life of a pebble and how it’s not able to move. When asked why he joined the competition, Ben said he was inspired by a teacher of his to create and submit an entry. He was also honored by the museum at a reception and book reading party on a Sunday.
One big challenge he faced when creating the book was the quick-approaching due date and he felt rushed and pressured.
“I was rushed from the deadlines and wish I could have done better. It took like three days and one of those for the art.”
He felt that he could have added more work but still feels really good with how it came out and that he finished the book.
Overall, it’s still very impressive for an eleventh grader to have courage to not only draw and create a book but also to comply with the deadlines and have the nerves to present in front of several schools around the district. He was rewarded with his book now displayed at the Portola Branch Library until May 3rd.
