Soon after the start of the pandemic, Brooklyn Tech High School students Leo Liu and Jaden Ordonez founded Everbooks, a site providing free student-written and -illustrated books for young children. In this interview we discuss their early days, what they've learned along the way, and their passion to continue and expand their work.
Ellen Mehling: How did Everbooks start?
Jaden Ordonez and Leo Liu: Everbooks has been in existence since the start of the pandemic last year. With social distancing becoming more enforced throughout the months, its effects took hold throughout communities across the world. Schools were forced to transition to an online setting. Libraries [temporarily ceased] circulation of [print] books. We realized that an inaccessibility of books would be detrimental to young children in particular, given the many benefits reading provides, such as the stimulation of the imagination and curiosity. In addition, children in low-income families might have a more difficult time purchasing books. We took it upon ourselves to create an online platform where young children can access e-books [we create] for free, and continue to thrive in a pandemic environment.
EM: What made you decide to focus on e-books for kids? Are the books available to individual children or families, or only via schools?
JO/LL: We were concerned about children’s access to books, as libraries, bookstores, and all alike being shut down meant children would not be able to spend the time with educational and thought-provoking activities. As a child’s development and peace of mind, especially in those turbulent times, was of utmost importance, we made it our duty to be able to provide as many pieces of inspiration as possible. Compounding this with the importance of adolescents expressing their creativity - all of our e-books are created by high school students - we went to work and set up our website to create these quality e-books for as many children to enjoy [as possible]. While we have been in contact with schools, any individual child or family is more than welcome to read our e-books!
EM: What is the process for the creation of a book? How long does it usually take?
JO/LL: The process has two parts: the story writing and the illustrations. First, story writers generate a book idea, and outline the general summary of each page in their book for reference purposes. Then, artists can use any platform they wish to illustrate each page to express their artistic creativity. With the book completed, all that’s left is adding it to our website’s collection! This entire process normally takes around a month’s time, though the rate at which the story writing and illustrations are completed vary from person to person.
EM: What is the most enjoyable part of creating and running Everbooks?
JO/LL: The most enjoyable aspect is seeing the growth and creation of our e-books. Everyone on our team has an objective, and seeing them work together and create something bigger than themselves is fulfilling and wonderful. Each person [performs their role in] the project, which is then passed on to another to add their layer. For example, one may create the storyboard for the art, another the line art, and finally someone [else] does the coloring. While this conveyor belt-like system can be strenuous for our organizational skills, working through them has been rewarding and a valuable educational experience.
EM: Have there been any surprises for you this past year?
JO/LL: Fortunately [our surprises] have been good ones! At the very beginning of the organization, we weren’t sure if Everbooks would be able to appeal to a mass audience, both parents and children alike. When things started to pick up and we became more well-known, we were surprised at how much the results exceeded our expectations. This lift was all we needed to build momentum, taking on any challenges we came across with confidence in both ourselves and the organization. The second big surprise was the enthusiasm we received from the high school community to help volunteer and create these e-books with us. What started out with only a small team and a single e-book transpired into something beyond our imaginations, and we are forever grateful for everything that led us here!
EM: What has been your biggest challenge?
JO/LL: Concerns involving what platforms to use to create our website and where to draw our e-books, the organization to improve on our dialogue and story-telling, and gathering interested participants were on our minds constantly during our beginning. But we were lucky to find committed people willing to give a chance to an infant organization. Together, we were able to create templates for prospective writers to use, a guide for artists to [use] when creating their work, and a social media platform gaining interested participants. We’ve come a long way from our origin, and we hope to continue growing from here.
EM: Knowing what you know now, is there anything you’d do differently if you were starting today?
JO/LL: Since this was the first organization and team we’ve ever led, it took a bit longer for us to get used to our roles and know what each of our responsibilities were. In the year that it took to develop Everbooks, in an alternate universe, [our past-selves] may have only needed a fraction of that time. Additionally, being able to identify the correct methods to approaching problems was crucial across all aspects of our organization, both internally and externally. Unfortunately, we spent far too long applying the same futile method to no avail.
EM: What advice do you have for other high school students who may have an idea for a venture / business / nonprofit?
JO/LL: Take that leap! Oftentimes, huge prospects may seem daunting and often discouraging for people to commit themselves into. They’re worried that things may not go to plan or that it’d be difficult for them to express themselves to their audience. While these are valid concerns, one should remind themselves of the reason they wanted to embark on a new venture in the first place; passion! Planning is a must, but expect things to not go as planned. Rather than feeling discouraged, remember that this is a sign to try a new angle at a project.
No problem is insurmountable, just [know] that some paths taken to reach the top of the mountain may not be what you envisioned originally. One should plan out weekly goals in order for some urgency to be felt, as well as a general goal for each month. Pursuing what you desire to make a reality, and remembering to keep up with the work necessary, will be a rewarding experience for a lifetime!
EM: What are your plans for the future?
JO/LL: We are trying to develop upon Everbooks to make it better and better each and every day. Though our general readers and users are in NYC, we are planning to branch out to elementary schools across the state and the nation. As for our e-books, we hope to create many new ones and selections to choose from in the following months, all of which will be of the best quality for children to enjoy reading. There is no doubt in our minds that Everbooks will continue to thrive and carry out its mission to provide free e-books for young children far and wide!
Thank you, Leo and Jaden and the rest of the Everbooks team!
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