Eric Wight, the author and illustrator of the Frankie Pickle series, shared his talent with students in kindergarten through fourth grade at H. C. Burgard Elementary on Friday.

"I was in first grade when I realized that I wanted to create my own characters and tell my own stories," he said.

After graduating from Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Wight attended Carnegie Mellon University and then went on to the School of Visual Arts where he earned a degree in animation.

Before creating the Frankie Pickle series, he held a variety of positions, including animator, television prop artist, amusement park caricaturist, window painter and video store clerk.

During his presentation Friday to the roughly 420 students at the school, Wight asked them for suggestions for creating an illustration and encouraged them to try their own hand at creating stories. He also encouraged them not to give up when they have an idea.

Wight explained that he was working in Los Angeles as an illustrator when he created Frankie Pickle.  However, his first idea was for Frankie to be a character in a cartoon-style TV show.

"I talked to some people about it, and Frankie as a TV show didn't work. I liked the character so I decided to do a book. Luckily I found a publisher who was willing to work with me," Wight said.

He explained that the Frankie Pickle books, which are geared toward younger or new readers, are written on a third-grade level. They are a hybrid that combines two different forms of storytelling: a graphic novel and a chapter book.

Wight explained that Frankie is an imaginative boy whose adventures are portrayed in a graphic novel while the balance of the story is a chapter book.  The first book in the series, "Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom," was published in 2009.

With his newest project developing Frankie as an animated TV show in Canada, Wight has, in a sense, come full circle. "That's why I tell kids that it's important to not give up; whether it's creating a project for school or learning something new," he said.

Wight continues to work on new books and does some freelance animation work for The Walt Disney Studios.

After watching Wight draw a one-page Halloween story of Frankie as a farmer with a corn monster, some of the kindergarten students shared their thoughts about the program.

Bailey Hockenberry said it may be easier for her to tell a story since she learned about creating a character and a situation for the character.

Hunter Garber said that he may want to try his hand at creating a comic book. "It looks like fun, and now I think I can do it," he said.

Wight's presentation was funded through a grant from MCFEE (Manheim Central Foundation for Educational Enrichment), which serves as a "booster club" for academics and support programs that enhance and enrich the educational experience for MC students.

Since its inception 11 years ago, MCFEE has distributed more than $750,000 to support creative programs and experiences that that help foster excellence in education.