LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK
The True Story of the Komodo Dragon
by
Sébastien Bourbeau
NOTE: This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to anyone else is purely coincidental. Copyright © 2020 All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. ISBN 978-1-7774133-1-6 First edition 2021 Published by: Sébastien Bourbeau/Ingram Sparks
Dedication
This book is dedicated to kids everywhere, young people who bravely choose to do things in their own unique ways, even when experts say otherwise, and to fearlessly go where no one has gone before.
Trust in what your heart already knows!
Be bold!
Merlin
From Grandma to Young Readers
☺
This book is unconventional; it is a hybrid between a novel and a textbook. The author has fallen under the spell of what is known as Experimental Literature, and more specifically: Experimental Fiction.
Notice the smiley face in blue
See the line « Experimental Fiction » in red
If you Google the term Experimental Fiction,
you will find several ways in which authors express themselves. Some of these “ways” are very challenging to read; some paragraphs are written backwards, while others are upside down. These authors are breaking every rule and to tell you the truth, it can be very difficult to read. In fact, some of them don’t even have a story to tell. Imagine writing a book without a story. How would that work for you? That’s not all; some authors can write a 300-page book with only one sentence, while others don’t write anything at all. Imagine going to a bookstore and buying a blank book with no words in it. Wouldn’t it be strange? In literature, there are traditions and conventions to follow, which you learn in school. For example, you always start a sentence with an upper-case letter, right? You also end a sentence with a period. In Experimental Literature, these two rules are often broken. Traditional authors observe the following guidelines:
Experimental Writers Break These Rules
Examine the lines above; do you agree that the layout looks unusual? Imagine reading an entire book in which EVERY PAGE would look like that. You might get motion sickness, or as sailors say: sea sickness. Don’t worry! Your author did not go off the wall with his innovative approach. In fact, he created a mild version of what Experimental Fiction can really be. He did it instinctively, elegantly and with panache, without ever knowing that his writing style was falling under a labeled technique. It was me, his grandma, who found out about it long after his book was finished.
Experimental writing can be fun, even funner, if you don’t go crazy with it. When you have to do a book report, or write a short story for school, ask your teacher if you can do it X-purr-rae-men-tlay.
See what I did there?
Have fun with it but don’t make it unreadable!
You don’t want your teacher to get sea-sick!
Enjoy your reading!
Granny Dani
A BIT ABOUT ME
I am six months old in this picture. I am not using recent photos of myself because I am in the witness protection program and I must keep my identity secret.
OR NOT
However, I am only 18 years old and you know what people say about being careful, right? (and when I say people, I mean parents). I appreciate the advice and for this reason, I will only use my baby pictures, for now. However, I might change my mind later. It is my author’s prerogative to change my mind.
PREROGATIVE. It’s a big word, I know, but if I could say it when I was barely six months old, SO CAN YOU! YES, I COULD SAY IT. Look at my picture; doesn’t it prove that I could say it?
prey — raw | prara — gaw — tiv
OK! Maybe I couldn’t say it but I knew what it meant.
YES, I DID!
There will be several big words in this book (in bold letters, underlined and Italic). I strongly suggest you keep a dictionary close by. You might have to look up a few words. Here is an interesting idea! Once you find out what the word prerogative means, write a sentence with it. Use it correctly. What a great way to start a new story! WITH HOMEWORK!
You must love me already!
You must read the entire book, all the way to the end, because there are matters of great magnitude and colossal consequences. Here are two more words for you to look up and use in a sentence. More homework!
I know, you DO love me!
I was born
from an egg
ME
TOO
My parents started to read to me when I was just a toddler
READING IS IMPORTANT
Once we know how to read, we can pretty much take the world by the horns. Nothing can stop us. Did you ever think about that? Have you ever heard the popular expression: you are only limited by your imagination? Here is another expression: the sky is the limit! Actually, this one is not as good because if the sky really was the limit, we wouldn’t have astronauts in space, would we? And if we allowed our imagination to limit us, we would not have dragons, monsters, vampires, ninjas, ghosts, ghost-busters, transformers, robots, E.Ts, flying saucers, the Enterprise, Star Wars, WALL-E, Batman, Superman or Spiderman roaming around our planet now, would we? With a limited imagination, would we have inventors? Film makers? Artificial Intelligence? Computers? Space and Ocean Exploration? Scientists? Doctors? Teachers? And what about authors? Can you imagine a world without authors?
B L A S P H E M Y!
Yes, there will be more homework. Don’t blame me; it’s my grandmother’s fault. She is the teacher in this family. A retired teacher, mind you! I think she forgets she’s retired! In fact, I know she forgets because she is teaching me right now. Enjoy your homework!
I mean, enjoy your reading!
Sébastien Bourbeau
Meet Squeak
This creature is the largest lizard on Earth
Humans have given this large lizard the name dragon. If you visit some of the links on my Website, you will find information to help you carry out your own investigation. I strongly suggest that you use these noteworthy links. You will learn the facts about the Komodo, while my story will teach you the fictional truth about it. Notice this term: fictional truth. This is called an oxymoron. Look this word up and brainstorm some examples with your teacher and peers; make a list.
I did not say MORON; I said OXYMORON
You might want to compare these two words
This book is about a lizard, the Komodo Dragon of planet Earth. He will travel through space and time in order to learn about himself and his ancestry.
Oh! There is one more thing he will learn : the meaning of life
or rather, the meaning of HIS life
Get ready for a wild ride!
What
are you
doing?
Komodo Dragon Fact & Fiction by Young Author Sébastien Bourbeau | Experimental Fiction | Novel Study
Education Language Art Program | Upper Elementary School Kids | Complementary Teachers' Resource
magical novel for the classroom
LETHBRIDGE, AB. CA | CONTACT | SITEMAP | DISCLAIMER
The True Story of the Komodo Dragon | Sébastien Bourbeau | Experimental Fiction
Fiction Novel for School Kids Grades 4-6
Lethbridge Alberta Canada
LETHBRIDGE, AB. CA | CONTACT | SITEMAP | DISCLAIMER
The True Story of the Komodo Dragon | Sébastien Bourbeau | Experimental Fiction
Fiction Novel for School Kids Grades 4-6
Lethbridge Alberta Canada