Henry The Tulip Bulb Visits Jacksonville Adventist Academy

What can a tulip bulb teach you about developing an attitude of gratitude? That’s what the students of Jacksonville Adventist Academy asked before “Henry The Tulip Bulb” showed up on their campus.

Prior to Henry’s visit, JAA teacher Juliet Van Heerden conducted an interview with children’s author Linda M. Brandt about her book Henry’s Life As A Tulip Bulb. Mrs. Van Heerden was so impressed with Brandt’s work and her life story, that she invited her to spend a day with the students and staff of Jacksonville Adventist Academy, where she teaches first and second grade. Mrs. Brandt agreed & the date was set for October 5, 2010.

There was a buzz on campus in the weeks before the big day. Teachers incorporated Henry’s Life As A Tulip Bulb into their Language Arts lesson plans and used “Henry’s Attitudes of Gratitudes” poster to teach character development. Each child received his or her own mini-poster and the opportunity to pre-order one of Henry’s books, to be signed by the author on the day of her visit.

Linda M. Brandt also invited the student body to participate in writing letters to “Henry” in response to his story of growing through change. The kids did write, sharing their own stories of how life has handed them difficulties, and how they’ve handled those situations. Six students, who wrote exemplary letters to Henry, were chosen by JAA staff to have lunch with the author. Those students were second-grader Ellette Pageotte-André, third-grader, Cayla Duncan, fourth-grader Gabriel Nasimento, sixth-graders Eli Hughes ,and Justin Massicot and eighth-grader Jessica Prescott. Who knows? Maybe some of JAA’s student letters will show up in Linda M. Brandt’s next book, entitled Letters to Henry.

On the day of her visit, Linda M. Brandt held a general assembly where she conducted a Power Point Presentation and shared her inspiring life story. A very animated, life-sized Henry The Tulip Bulb (a.k.a. eighth-grader Christian Rodriguez) arrived just in time to interact with the author and audience as she filled the students in our how “Henry” came to be “Henry The Tulip Bulb,” rather than just an idea in her mind.

Students listened attentively as Brandt shared her personal story of surviving a rare and aggressive brain tumor followed by spinal meningitis. She has had 25% of her brain removed and had to re-learn how to do everything in life from walking, talking, and driving to drawing, painting and writing. Yet through it all, she has fostered and maintained and attitude of gratitude towards God and kept focused on the blessings in her life. Mrs. Brandt’s story is so incredibly touching that a Hollywood movie is in the making, with actress Nicole Kidman chosen to play Linda’s part. 

Even with nods and applause from Hollywood, Mrs. Brandt humbly and faithfully gives honor to God for her gifts and abilities. She inspires students all over the country as she and Henry visit schools, sharing their message of “Never give up,” “Develop an Attitude of Gratitude,” and “God has a plan for your life.”

Following the General Assembly, the author conducted breakout sessions with two groups of students, in which she taught them how to create a storyboard and answered their questions about writing and life. In response to one inquiry from an aspiring author, Linda said, “If you have an idea, write it down. You never know where an idea will take you.” 

Another student asked, “How do you become an author?” Linda replied, “Write a lot.” She shared that she began “writing” books when she was seven years old and painting when she was four. She also shared that she spent eight hours a day for eight months to complete just the illustrations for Henry’s Life As A Tulip Bulb. She said, “If it’s something you like to do, you do it a lot. I try to paint every day.” 

Linda’s message touches kid’s hearts. After eating lunch with the author that afternoon, one young man leaned forward and said to her, “You’re my role model.” Mrs. Brandt gave him a high five and he said, “I have learned to never give up. I will never, never give up.”

Juliet Van Heerden
Teacher

Jacksonville Adventist Academy
4298 Livingston Road
Jacksonville, FL 32257

School Tel: 904.268.2433
Cell: 305.979.8830