LET’S WRITE: Students of the West End Primary school were treated to the adventures of George, a curly tail lizard, read by local author Karla Fox who wrote the short story when she was a sixth grade student. Pictured along with the West End Primary students are (left to right): Donald Glass, Vice President Human Resources, Old Bahama Bay by Ginn sur Mer; Karla Fox; and Cardinal Woods, Principal, West End Primary School.
WEST END, Grand Bahama : More than seventeen years ago, a bright young student named Karla Fox penned the words to a short story titled Home Sweet Home. Never did she imagine that almost two decades later she would stand in front of an audience of eager youngsters introducing them to her published work.
During their weekly reading program sponsored by Old Bahama Bay by Ginn sur Mer, students of the West End Primary School listened attentively to the adventures of George, a curly tail lizard, who embarks on a search for a new home.
Even though Fox was honored by the invitation to participate in the book reading, she was surprised by the request.
“I wrote the book when I was just in primary school so I hardly consider myself an author compared to some of the great Bahamian authors today,” she said.
Fox, who describes herself as one with a big imagination, said she hopes that her experience will inspire young budding authors.
“Even with my nerves, I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to participate in such an exceptional program as this one instituted by Old Bahama Bay,” she said. “The idea behind it is fantastic and conveys such a positive message to the children. There are so many negative influences today and programs such as this can make a difference.”
The delightful tale was written by Fox in 1991 when she entered a writing competition sponsored by the Grand Bahama Children’s Home. As the winning entrant, her essay was published, and all sales proceeds donated to the Grand Bahama Children’s Home. Fox still enjoys writing and hopes to spend more time at it – maybe even write another book.
