An Oakland Gardens teacher has achieved her longtime dream of publishing her first children’s book.
Ilyssa Lieberman is a third grade teacher and a nearly 27-year veteran of the NYC Department of Education. For nearly all of her career, she’s taught at P.S. 213 The Carl Ullman School in Oakland Gardens.
In June, Lieberman self-published Dottie & Lenny- “The Tale of A Dot and Line.” So far, the book has been praised by parents and students alike, and Lieberman said she has sold nearly 150 copies.
“ Really, the takeaway has been extremely overwhelming, but in the most positive way … whether it’s an adult or a child, there’s so much to be learned from this story,” she said.
The book, which is for ages 4 to 12, follows the main characters, Dottie the dot and Lenny the line, who learn the power of friendship through teamwork. Throughout the book, Dottie and Lenny show what dots and lines are capable of individually in punctuation and spelling, and what they can accomplish when they work together.
“ At first, they are extremely argumentative, trying to prove the other one wrong. It wasn’t until a certain point, a turning point in the story, that they realized that two minds are better than one,” Lieberman said. “Teamwork will always make everything better. That was the point in the story where I said [to myself], ‘you know what, I want these kids to take away something from this that it’s okay to be who you are, but also to understand that we’re all different and by working together, you can create so much more.’”
Lieberman said the book reflects her teachings inside the classroom, in promoting an environment for students to enjoy writing, reading, and self-expression.
“ I’ve always had a passion for writing and writing seems to be one of the areas I’ve noticed as an educator that a lot of the children seem to struggle with,” she said. “My third grade teacher really discouraged me as a writer, and that’s what really encouraged me to love writing so much. Not to prove this teacher wrong, but I wanted to just find this joy of writing and instill that in my students. I promised my students that they would walk away from my class loving writing.”
Dottie and Lenny’s whimsical rhyming style is also inspired by Lieberman’s thoughts.
“My brain honestly just thinks in rhyme. I’ve always been that way,” she said. “So when I sat down to write Dottie and Lenny, it wasn’t even a question… the rhyme just flowed. It felt playful and musical and made the message even more memorable for kids. I think storytelling in rhyme helps bring a certain joy and rhythm to the lesson.”
For Lieberman, the book is also a nod to her close relationship with her grandmother. Dottie is named in honor of her late grandmother Dorothy, whom Lieberman described as a light in her life.
Lieberman originally wrote the children’s book over 10 years ago. At the time, her writings were an emotional outlet during a difficult period of her life.
“ It really became a safe place for me to pour my energy and love into something meaningful,” she said.
Lieberman said that she hopes Dottie and Lenny will help children who read her story just as much as they helped her.
Over the years, Lieberman would read her unpublished story to her students, whose encouragement inspired her to take a leap of faith. She recalled how the former principal of her school pushed her to finally share her story outside of the classroom.
“ She said to me, and as well as many other people in my life have said, ‘Ilyssa, you have a really strong talent. You need to publish that book.’ So it was really about just taking the plunge, just doing it, and just saying, ‘you know what, what’s the worst that could happen,’” she said.
Lieberman said there’s even more to come for Dottie and Lenny.
“I left this open where it could be a series. That’s the goal for Dottie and Lenny to create and go on more adventures together, [and] meet new characters for them. They’re really adorable little characters,” she said.
