A Unique Storyteller

A Unique Storyteller

A maintaining the upkeep of the building, addressing cleaning and grounds needs, and a variety of other tasks that help provide an environment conducive to learning for students and staff. It can be a tough job, one that requires getting dirty and exerting more than a little elbow grease from time to time. For Tracy Agnelli, a Plant Manager at Countryside Elementary School, it’s been his livelihood for the past 12 years. As it turns out though, Tracy has a hobby that could not be farther from his day job. In his spare time he authors children’s books.

It might seem unusual for a plant manager to write stories for children, but when Agnelli tells his story about growing up, it makes all the sense in the world. Tracy, you see, was never a good reader in school. He was good at math and physical education, and struggled in everything else. “Everything to me centers around reading and comprehension, and I didn’t like to read, and didn’t learn to read,” he said. It wasn’t until senior year of high school that Tracy had a breakthrough. A teacher in his English class gave him an activity to help dissect and understand a book they were reading in class. It centered around helping Tracy and his fellow students visualize in their head the book’s story as they read it. When children learn to read, they often have pictures that go along with the words that help articulate the meaning and make connections. Once students get older, those pictures generally go away. When those pictures disappeared for Tracy, his interest level and enthusiasm for reading dwindled. But when his senior English teacher suddenly had him visualizing the story in his head and writing that down, it helped him turn a corner. “That was interesting to me, to actually visualize what I am reading,” he said with a smile.

An image from Tracy’s first book, “Daddy Loves You No Matter What...”

After that, Tracy was determined to read more. He would find a book, read it over the course of four or five months, and then reward himself at the end. He’d treat himself to ice cream or a movie after each book was completed. Slowly but surely, reading became easier and more enjoyable for him. So much so that 20 years later with the encouragement of his family and principal, Agnelli even started college classes. He only took a few at a time, but after 10 years Tracy earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Communication from Arizona State University.

That story alone is remarkable in demonstrating one man’s journey toward literacy and success in life. But Tracy had more he wanted to accomplish. It wasn’t enough that he could now read well, he felt everyone should be able to achieve what he did. “What I wanted to do was help kids learn and enjoy reading,” he said. Tracy had been kicking around the idea of a children’s book for a little while, researching what it would take and how to go about publishing one. It wasn’t till he was out picking up trash on the field at Countryside one day that his first book began to develop. “I was thinking about my son who was dealing with his daughter at the time,” he said. “She was just being a kid, one minute she was great having a good time and the next minute she’s testing how much she can get away with.” It wasn’t phasing Tracy’s son though, who had to teach the daughter a lesson about consequences. “No matter if you are bad or whatever, Dad’s love is forever no matter what the child does,” Tracy said.

Artwork for Tracy’s second book, Nana’s Special Gift, which emphasizes a grandmother’s love for her grandchildren.

It was through that experience that Agnelli’s first book theme began to take shape. After writing it down and a few months of revisions, it was time to find an illustrator and publisher. The whole process was a learning experience, but one that allowed the book, “Daddy Loves You No Matter What…” to eventually reach the market, on Amazon no less. Tracy was ecstatic for the results and the ability to share his passion with a larger audience. He received a huge response from his family, friends, the school, and especially the teachers. Tracy reads to classrooms on a regular basis and even bounced ideas off teachers for themes and words that are best for the children for his books. There was just one thing that wasn’t as positive about his first published book.

“I didn’t get my money back from the first one, but I thought, what am I doing it for?” he asked himself. “I kept telling myself not to do it to be selfish, you have to do it for the right reasons. I’m doing it for others, not for me.” When he came to that realization, it was then he decided to author a second book, which came out in March on Amazon as well. Titled “Nana’s Special Gift,” the second story emphasizes a grandmother’s love for their grandchildren and the bond developed between the two of them. Tracy improved on the publishing process, found an illustrator that he could really collaborate with, and feels like this second book is an even better representation of his goals to help students learn and love reading.

“I struggled in school,” he said. “I struggled because I didn’t want to read. I pushed back. I didn’t realize reading was good and how much it would help me.”

Now that Tracy has officially published two children’s books, the biggest lesson he learned from the experience was the importance of believing in yourself and what you are most passionate about.

“Being vulnerable is a big thing,” Tracy said. “I’ve never done that. I’ve always been scared. I’m trying to put myself out there. Take chances. The worst thing you can do is fail, and there is nothing wrong with that. If something is important to you, then that is all that matters - and reading is important to me.”

An image from Tracy’s first book, “Daddy Loves You Know Matter What...” Tracy self-published the book as a way to help children so they didn’t struggle with reading the way he did.