Mother and son team up to write children’s book

Brandon Holmes comes up with all kinds of wacky stories.

The 10-year-old from Newton remembered one time before he even entered kindergarten he was strapped in a carrier and told his mom and dad, Anita and Matt Holmes, about how he travelled to outerspace and played baseball on the moon. One team won by one point, he said, and one team lost by two points.

A mischievous smile emerged on Brandon’s cheeks.

“I make up all sorts of good stories,” he said.

“We were all confused,” Anita recalled. “He had to explain it to us there are three teams when you play baseball on the moon.”

Well, yeah, of course! Makes sense.

It certainly did to Brandon when he concocted the idea from thin air all those years ago. Anita and Matt say it was quite the tale, particularly when they were trying to comprehend Brandon’s fantasy. They always told their son they would write down his wild stories into a book one day.

Eventually, Anita did just that. Last summer, in fact. She sat down with her youngest son and together they wrote “Safe! in Outerspace.”

Scheduled to be released on Sept. 21, the children’s book is authored by the mother-and-son duo and illustrated by Ukrainian artist Antonio Pahetti. The Holmes family will hold a launch party 3-7 p.m. Sept. 25 at the softball complex, 500 N. 19th Ave. E., in Newton. The party’s open to anyone.

Other than having to wrangle her son for writing sessions, the process was exciting for Anita — even when it was challenging to understand the thought process behind a 3-year-old’s imagination. It became even more fun when the two began to receive the illustrations from Pahetti.

The front cover depicts a cartoon-like Brandon posing next to a yellow alien with four arms and three eyes. They’re both holding baseball bats. Apparently, America’s favorite pastime is also beloved by extraterrestrial beings in the darkest reaches of space.

Anita and Brandon are thrilled to showcase the finished product to the community at their launch party later this month.

Anita said, “It was a great learning process, so if we do it again…”

“We’ll know what to do,” Brandon said.

Preorder copies of the “Safe! in Outerspace” at www.anitaandbrandon.com.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com