The Light in Cy

Vancouver media studies student Mark Glover Masterson has collaborated here with illustrator Monica Elder to self-publish a first picture book, The Light in Cy.

The story, told in rhyme, tells of a lonely little gray bird named Cy who is looking for some avian friends. Putting on a puppet show and sharing a favourite book produce no results. Glider, a passing gull, is civil enough but does not have time to stop and visit.

I’ve tried making friends now – 1, 2, then 3.
So I must ask myself, what’s wrong with me?
These are my legs, and they look okay,
and my wings and my body are covered in gray.
I see nothing strange, everything’s fine.
Then why do I feel like an invisible sign?

He finally encounters some colourful friends who seem to invite him to share their perch. They are actually a string of owl-shaped lights which, Cy decides, he wants to take home to his own tree. Conveniently, Glider the gull flies by again, and Cy enlists his help. And here the rhyme really goes off the rails:

“I need to move my bright buddies home, and I’m
certainly sure they can’t flap there alone,” shared Cy.
“My friends and I can fly your new pals, and may I
say they are super cool owls,” grinned Glider.
Cy now understood that the light inside is always on.
Even when you feel you just don’t belong.
Sure, the bulb may grow dim, but that’s when
friendship comes shining in.

The pictures are pleasantly bright, but they are not executed with any finesse and, in a few instances, are populated by very unbirdlike birds. The most engaging spread is the one near the end which shows three seagulls flying through the sky with the wire of the light string in their bills, the green, orange and pink owl bulbs looking straight ahead and Cy anxiously bringing up the rear.

Many people have tried their hands at producing illustrated stories for young children, with greater or lesser success, and the effort is always to be applauded. But here the pedestrian plot, lumpy verse and amateurish illustrations have little to offer.