Laurie Vela, creator of "Laurie's Stories" literacy program, applied for and received grants from local organizations to fund a book publishing project at both Sutter Creek primary and elementary schools. Photo by: Bethany A. Monk

Sutter Creek artist Laurie Vela knows how to tell a good story.

With characters like the "Color Cloud and Kelly," the "Alligator in the Refrigerator," and several others, the traveling storyteller has no problem getting her audiences hooked on reading. Vela is the creator of "Laurie's Stories," a program comprised of several stories Vela wrote and illustrated to help promote literacy fluency in young readers. This school year, Vela decided to try something new; in addition to visiting schools and organizations to deliver her multimedia "Laurie's Stories" presentation, she found a way to help students create their own stories, resulting in a slew of their own published books.

Vela worked with 10 classes of second- through sixth-grade students at both Sutter Creek primary and elementary schools beginning the last week of October. The students wrote and illustrated their own books, which went to the publishers just before the winter break in December.

To fund the book publishing project at the schools, Vela applied for and received grants from the Amador County Community Foundation and the Jackson Rancheria Casino, Hotel and Conference Center. Seven of the 10 participating classes authored and illustrated class books; each student in the 10 classes wrote and illustrated individual books. Studentreasures book publishing, a divisions of Nationwide Learning, Inc., published the hardbound books.

After Christmas, they made audio books based on their written books, she said. These audio books, a multimedia project, feature each page of each child's book on a DVD as the child's voice-over can be heard reading the pages.

On both Feb. 24 and March 13, several students involved in the project presented their books in front of an audience of family members, educators and students. Many of the books were also on display for visitors to peruse.

"Everybody had a real good time," Vela said of the events.

As for the weeks of writing, revising, illustrating and publishing their work, some students enjoyed it, and others, perhaps would rather have been doing something else, Vela said, when asked how the students reacted to the project.

"It's like all of life - it's like what you put into it," she said. "Some realized they could have done more.

"We could have benefited from having more time writing," Vela said, adding that she learned a lot from the experience. Unsure if she'll be able to do the project again, she said she received nothing but positive feedback.

"They were happy. They were grateful," she said of parents and their reactions at the February event.

Vela began Laurie's Stories in 1989 as part of her undergraduate studies in communications at the University of California, Davis, according to her biography, posted on her Web site. In 1992, she earned a Master of Arts degree in education with an emphasis in reading. It was also in 1992 that she began performing Laurie's Stories nationwide in family-type festivals, school assemblies, literacy programs and public library summer reading programs.

"New characters have been born along the way, adding an ever-expanding richness to the blend of education and entertainment," Vela states on the site. "From inner city schools to suburbia to Native American Indian Reservations, the response to Laurie's Stories has been overwhelmingly positive."

First 5 Amador, on an ongoing basis, funds Vela's "Sing, Song Circles" programs for preschoolers in the county.

Vela also runs an online literacy program. In addition, she gives presentations during school assemblies as the "Mother Goose Rapper." For more information about these and other literacy programs of Vela's, visit www.lauriesstories.com.