Local author and illustrator Jason Deeble entertained children with a presentation of his book “Sir Ryan’s Quest” Saturday at the Groton Public Library.

The presentation kicked off the second annual "One Book, Every Young Child" program of southeastern Connecticut.

The book is about a young boy who imagines a world for himself right under the kitchen sink, amongst the pots and pans. He transports himself to a land of knights, dragons, wizards, and warriors where he is sent on a quest.

Saturday's presentation included a reading of the book followed by interactive activities such as the opportunity to dress up like Ryan, the protagonist of the story, and a drawing game that encouraged audience members to think creatively.

At the end of the presentation, Deeble also summarized the journey of his book from start to finish.

“This book started with just a picture,” Deeble said, encouraging children to pick up their own pens and pencils to create stories of their own.

“You don’t need any special magical moon paint to write a book,” he said.

His own book grew from that first picture to include his own childhood experiences while playing at home with his mom. The prototype for the book included sketches of his mom, but when he met with the publishers they told him that the mom was too ugly, and Deeble was asked to redraw her.

“Well the moral of the story there is that if you want to make a book, go ahead. Just know someone might call your mom ugly,” Deeble said, to the group of giggling children.

"One Book, Every Young Child" was inspired by other successful reading programs such as the award-winning "Pennsylvania One Book, Every Young Child” and eastern Connecticut’s “One Book, One Region” programs.

Deeble, a resident of Norwich, received word early in the fall that his book had been chosen for this year’s program in southeastern Connecticut.

“It was a pretty easy choice,” said Beth Crowley, chair of the “One Book, Every Young Child” program in southeastern Connecticut. She was looking for an engaging book that could be read aloud, written and illustrated by a local author and, according to Crowley, Deeble fit all the criteria.

“We also liked the idea that he was so local to us, not just a Connecticut author, but someone from right around here in southeastern Connecticut,” Crowley said.

Deeble's appearance in Groton was the first of eleven throughout the region. He will visit libraries in the surrounding area including Waterford, Ledyard, New London, and Montville in the upcoming months.

“I think these kinds of programs are vital,” said Deeble. “Libraries are the place where learning about reading has to start, and they are the bedrock of literacy in our communities.”

Missed the event this Saturday? Don’t worry, Groton Public Library has planned two other events centered around “Sir Ryan’s Quest.” On Feb. 12  at 2 p.m. the library will host “A Knight’s Quest,” a program that will engage children in a quest of their own, and on Feb. 22 from 1-4 p.m., children will be able to create their own “Cardboard Box Creatures” inspired by Ryan’s own creation of cardboard characters in the book.