Book Excerpt 9 - continued from Excerpt 8, same session: (excerpt 8 here)
“Oh wow. I was not prepared for this.” stammers the counselor wiping a tear under her glasses.
“You all—excuse me while I try not to completely unravel—but that was… stunning. Just stunning.”
She stands, facing the group of students who are looking both nervous and surprised at her reaction.
“I know I wasn’t your target audience—Mr. Joe here caught me in the hallway on my way to lunch—but I’m so, so glad I got pulled in.”
She glances at the illustrations in the students hands, and she points to the kids who presented Scene Ten. She takes a breath.
“You didn’t just tell a story about a turtle. You told a story about grief. And you did it with such a light, careful hand. You gave us just enough room, but not so much that we missed the ache underneath. That’s hard to do. Even for adults.”
She turns slightly to the class, her voice steadying.
“And I know… someone here went through something like this. Maybe more than one. A real version of it. Maybe that turtle’s shell was covering something closer to home.”
She pauses, her voice sobers up.
“I lost my mom recently. And I swear, that little turtle snuck into a part of my heart I thought I had locked up tight. You got in.”
She lets the moment hang, the class still and listening.
“And yes, I’m now going to cry into my lunch. Thank you for completely ruining my sandwich… for all the right reasons.”
(She smiles, cleaning up her eyes with a tissue.)
“Seriously. That was beautiful.”
The janitor and the counselor depart.
Joe waits for a few moments to let it all sink in.
"Now you know how a "cartoon" can effect an audience. We are all turtles it turns out." Joe smiles.
The kids are letting out a collective exhale as Joe notices the clock.
"Let's stop here. I'm not sure we can follow this experience with the time we have left. Just a quick question, do we all want this ending or the happy one with the hug.
Every.
Hand.
Goes.
Up.
For.
Turtle Heaven.
"Now all we have left to do is make it. " Joe smiles. "Let's hammer out the other three stories next time. Until then, let's continue to have a meaningful day."
Joe steps out glowing with pride. What he won't find out until next time is the note that arrives two days later from the guidance counselor to the class:
Dear Ms. Rose,
"Just wanted to send a quick note to follow up on the storyboard presentation I was lucky enough to witness the other day—the one with the turtle and the ice. I’m so grateful I got pulled in. For the record, our illustrious janitor passes along that his turtle's name was Clamps -please share!
Stories—especially the ones told by kids—can be just as healing as they are heartbreaking. I hope they keep telling them."
Warmly,
[Counselor’s Name]
(P.S. I owe them a box of tissues and a turtle sticker or two.)
End of excerpt 9
Meet Joe
Founder of Animating Kids and producer of the Animation Chefs webseries, Joe Summerhay turns filmmaking into a team sport for the content creator generation. Through a by kids, for kids cooking-show format, the Animation Chefs have inspired tens of thousands of young creators worldwide—bringing Hollywood-level storytelling into classrooms and media labs. With 25,000+ students and educators trained in 20+ countries, Joe equips kids with the storytelling framework and creative vocabulary they’ll need to thrive in the digital age—whether directing a film or prompting an AI. His work proves that visual media literacy is reading and writing with sound and motion—complementing traditional literacy and making it relevant for the modern world.
More Testimonials:
"I am impressed by...these programs, providing young people with the skills to become creative and critical thinkers...this shares my dedication to nurturing the next generation of filmmakers and visual storytellers." — Steven Spielberg - Referencing the work of Joe Summerhays“
"Joe (Animating Kids Founder) has turned the art of movie making for kids into a science.” — Jonathan Demme - Academy Award-Winning Director
“I absolutely love Animating Kids...you have no idea how amazing it is for a span of K-9. I’ve got the whole building covered and my planning was done for me. The kids LOVE the Animation Chefs. Win, win!!” — J. Tuttle - Media Specialist
"When I found Animating Kids it changed everything. Small and not so small humans became masters of sound and motion on any subject via small group PBL dynamics." — Rachel - Tech Coach - Quebec
“Animating Kids has changed everything! Fun, relevant media-making lessons for kids, and total P.D. for my non-film making teachers. A complete solution!!” — Principal - Bronx NY
"Animating Kids really helps focus our students during remote sessions…it keeps them so engaged. Your secret recipes are a life saver." — Marisol - Sacramento Ca
"The kids love the demonstrations and it is P.D. for me as I tee it all up. Animating Kids makes me the coolest educator in their lives!" — Charlotte - London UK
"This is the most important skills-based content for today’s kids. I don't think primary educators get how impactful this approach can be. It respects media content creation as the basic literacy it is for today’s kids. — Monique - White Plains NY
“We went through the entire process (PD workshop) of learning animated filmmaking with our tablets and smartphones. We could barely keep up. In the end we came away exhilarated rather than exhausted.” — Cathy S. - Librarian“
"My head was spinning. It involved: math, writing, science, team building, art, language arts, engineering, improvisation, innovation, acting, etc. Along with another dozen areas I can’t recall. Sneaky comprehensive. Mind blown. Can’t wait to use it in class.” — Marcia - 4th Grade Teacher
“Animation Chefs have created a really inspired program! My test group of (hardened gang members) like to laugh at the videos, and they love the simple clear explanations. They just have a blast...”
— G. Zucker Austin TX
"Thank you SO much for sharing your wealth of information and opening this world to every kid! I first learned about you when my husband introduced our daughter to you. Now I am bringing it into my after school program. I’m so psyched!" — Joy H. Retail After School Specialist
"Kids sign-up for robotics, coding, and stop motion sessions. After taking all three, they rate stop motion as their favorite track BY FAR. Animating Kids is key to our success." — Shane V. After School District Lead