SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - San Diego's newest published author, 8-year-old Ethan Wang, is writing an ending for his book sales that is Positively San Diego.
The story that leapt from Ethan Wang's imagination emerged during a school assignment a year ago. The Park Village Elementary student wrote a short story about how a turtle got its shell.
“I showed my mom, and she liked it, so she told me to extend it and illustrate the story,” said Ethan.
It took Ethan, who has won awards for his drawings, a few more months to finish his story, complete with illustrations.
In his tale, the kind-hearted Sea Dragon kingdom is invaded by the Sky Dragon army. The brave general of the water kingdom, a turtle, has an armor fashioned that hides arrows and disguises him, helping him rescue a princess and save his kingdom.
The armor becomes stuck to the turtle, becoming his shell.
“My message is that bravery and kindness can help everyone,” said Ethan.
Ethan's mom, Lei Qi, says her son's writing odyssey played out as his health issues have worsened. A litany of severe allergies has left him with daily discomfort. He had trouble breathing at times and is unable to participate in sports.
"He feels upset every day, and I want to make him feel better,” said Qi.
Qi decided to self-publish Ethan's 30-page book. It became available on Amazon on May 1.
“I think if I do the book for him, he will feel proud of himself. It may help him build his self confidence,” said Qi.
It appears mom does know best.
“Makes me happy and proud,” said Ethan.
Amid a flood of compliments from friends and strangers, Ethan’s already put pen to paper for two more books.
As for sales for his current book, he picked a happy ending.
“I'm going to donate all the money to my school,” said Ethan.
Ethan plans to donate it all to buy supplies for his school, including art and music supplies.
Ethan's mom says she hopes the book will inspire other parents to encourage their child's passions.
