Aurora teen publishes book

By Susan Dibble

sdibble@dailyherald.com

Sixteen-year-old Eliana Joy Barnett has been writing and illustrating children's books since she was in second grade.

Now she's seeing them in print.

Eliana, a junior at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, had her first book, “The Making of The Platypus Philharmonic Orchestra,” self-published by the Marsten Publishing Group in Naperville last year.

She's in the process of illustrating her second book on Platypus Olympics, and has two more books planned in the series.

“I've liked platypuses since I was in kindergarten,” Eliana said, explaining her choice of subject.

The platypus (yes, it's a real creature) is an egg-laying mammal found only along waterways in eastern Australia. With a bill and webbed feet like a duck, a beaver-like tail and body and fur similar to an otter, platypuses are one of nature's oddities. What's more, the males have sharp and venomous stingers in the heels of their rear feet.

But in Eliana's book, platypuses are fun-loving, intelligent creatures that play musical instruments. So Penelope, the human in the book, hopes to shape them up into an orchestra — if only she can get them to stop joking around.

Drawing on her own interests, Eliana, a violinist in Waubonsie's Philharmonic Strings, includes a listing of instruments that make up an orchestra, a diagram of an orchestra seating arrangement and the repertoire of pieces they play.

Her mother, Effie Barnett, said Eliana has been drawing since she could hold a pencil.

“Eliana is an amazing drawer,” she said.

Before she could write, Eliana drew her first book in pictures while on kindergarten spring break.

After starting to write books in second grade, she won awards and recognition in the Chicago Young Authors Competition throughout elementary school. Eliana also had a poem published in the Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans, 2006 edition.

The family moved to Aurora when she was in middle school. Now in high school, she writes original comedy for the Speech Club and belongs to the Chinese Club and Key Club.

A fan of manga, Japanese-stye comics and cartoons, Eliana said she plans to continue to pursue writing and computer graphic design in the future.

Her 32-page book is available at marstenpublishing.com and Amazon.com.