Child Author: Books and Art by Noah Laythe

Almost Heaven Star Party at TMI with NOVAC

businessmatter — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 03:32:25 +0000

Where did the summer break disappear too Noah asked me as we drove to Spruce Knob West Virginia. Determined that we would do something different this year to mark the summers end, a camping trip seemed appropriate so on September 3^rd-7^th, 2010,The Almost Heaven Star Party came at a perfect time. Hosted by The Mountain Institute (TMI) and sponsored by the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC), the event offered the best night sky viewing we could ask for. The highlight of the trip was operating a 40 foot radio telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NRAO) facilities. The 40 foot has a special place in history because its “feed system (dipole antenna and protective radome) is the original feed used for the project OZMA – the first collective scientific effort to search for communications from the extraterrestrial civilizations”. Acting like a scientist, Noah operated the chart recorder and turned on the motor to position the scope for a Drift Scan or “Park and Ride”. With a team of 11 other NOVAC members, Noah helped track the Galactic Center of the Milky Way. “The idea of letting the Earths rotation help track objects in space and seeing the spikes appear on the chart recorder was the most fascinating part of the late night” Noah expressed. Amazingly, the equipment was very easy to work; everything from setting a 500 Jansky pre-calibration baseline to adjusting the analog dial to move the telescope to the proper declination. Observing the Milky Way took on a new meaning that night, a night that Noah said, he ”will never forget”.

Me and Noah are standing in front of the 40-foot waiting for our observing session to begin.

Noah is observing the transit time clock and relaying the time back to a fellow NOVAC member.

The results of the collective effort to trace the Galactic Center. As the very first scan of the observing session everyone was very excited. We all signed the scan to remember the moment.

Noah is setting the declination for the next object that will pass by the telescope by adjusting the analog dial.

Noah expressed an interest in operating the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT)which is the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope. There is a “call for proposal” section on the website where Noah could make a request to fulfill his desire to operate the GBT.

Please read other blog posts at http://childauthor.wordpress.com/

Submarine and Base

businessmatter — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:04:41 +0000

Oil paints have been used for many centuries and even today oil is still one of the easiest and most forgiving mediums to work with. Because oil will generally not run or move when placed on a brush, the act of creating a painting becomes a matter of putting the right color paint in the proper place. These are the facts that I shared with Noah as he began to create his first oil painting he calls “Submarine and Base”. Using the artist Vincent Van Gogh as his inspiration, Noah observed many of Van Gogh’s paintings and he focused on the dark colors of the Starry Night.

While Noah’s painting bears no resemblance to the Starry Night painting, the act of putting paint on canvas was no less inspiring to watch. “Submarine and Base” features three tall brown volcanoes with a blazing red and orange sky as their backdrop. Traversing the deep blue sea at the surface, an unnamed submarine is approaching from right to left to its secret island base.

I hope you enjoy Noah’s oil painting as much as I have and feel free to support his objective to raise money for college through his PayPal account. Please do not forget to add Noah’s website to your RSS feed and receive regular updates on his newest books and art. If you wish to contact the author, please use my email NormanLaythe@hotmail.com.

Please read other books by Noah at http://childauthor.wordpress.com/

How to Raise a Puppy

businessmatter — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:00:55 +0000

Many thanks to my local veterinarian for distributing the book, “Dog Care – 101 Essential Tips“. The newest member of our family Odie is being well cared for as a result of Noah’s reading. Implementing many of the training tips outlined in the book, the bond between Noah and his new puppy has been fascinating to observe and is the inspiration behind Noah’s latest book, “How to Raise a Puppy”. You might say that Noah’s book is the executive summary to the “Dog Care – 101 Essential Tips”.

I hope you enjoy Noah’s book as much as I have and feel free to support his objective to raise money for college through his PayPal account. Please do not forget to add Noah’s website to your RSS feed and receive regular updates on his newest books and art. If you wish to contact the author, please use my email NormanLaythe@hotmail.com.

Message from Noah,

“I did not know training my dog to sit would be so much fun! You can see a picture of my puppy.

Sincerely,

Noah

Dog Care – 101 Essential Tips

Please read other books by Noah at http://childauthor.wordpress.com/

The End of Count Dooku

businessmatter — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:04:09 +0000

There are 1001 ways to enjoy a Sunday afternoon, but there are no better than teaching a child how to be creative. With the numerous “How to Videos” on YouTube, there is no shortage of ideas. With a 10 megapixel camera in hand set to macro mode, Microsoft’s Movie Maker and a moderate level of patience, the creative juices were flowing. From start to finish, the three hour stop motion video project resulted in the below YouTube video. In all, the 36 second video required 180 pictures, a few Stars Wars Mini Figuares and the use of MovieWaves free downloadable Star Wars sounds. As Noah thought through each frame and positioned each character, I could not help wonder if this event would spark an interest in moving making or developing animated books.

Message from Noah,

“I did not know this would be so much fun and easy to do. I want to do more, maybe a 2 minute video. Enjoy my video.”

Sincerely,

Noah

Please read other books by Noah at http://childauthor.wordpress.com/

Goldie’s Homework Vacation

businessmatter — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 05:41:00 +0000

While most kids were throwing snowballs and making snow angles during the winter break, Noah was hard at work writing his latest book, “Goldie’s Homework Vacation” (PDF 1.1 MB). Now of course there were many snow breaks of his own as part of the creative writing process, but he was determined to finish the latest book for his loyal following to have something to read during this January 2010 cold spell.

In this book, the main character, Goldie embarks on an adventure of his own in the deep blue sea. Traveling with nothing but the contents of his backpack, Goldie leads the reader on a caving hike where he finds gold. Documenting his travels with patches like Cub Scouts collect on their red felt vests and using pen and paper, Goldie handed in his written work as part of his homework assignment for class. Home safe and secure, he sleeps through his last night before school dreaming of his travels of life time.

Message from Noah,

“The idea of this book was inspired by a metal brightly colored orange fish my mom and dad brought back for me as a gift from their trip to Hawaii. Because my dad likes scuba diving, I wanted to write a book about the pictures of fish he showed me of his trip.”

Sincerely,

Noah

Please read other books by Noah at http://childauthor.wordpress.com/

Score Another Point for Lego Star Wars!

businessmatter — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:54:00 +0000

Lego Star Wars, two of Noah’s favorite toys combined together equals hours of fun. After constructing the latest Lego project, Noah was inspired to draw the Venator-class Republic Attack Cruiser traveling through the stars escorted by two Hyena Droid Bombers. The PDF (105 KB) is available for download.

I hope you enjoy Noah’s art as much as I have and feel free to support his objective to raise money for college through his PayPal account. Please do not forget to add Noah’s website to your RSS feed and receive regular updates on his newest books and art. If you wish to contact the author, please use my email NormanLaythe@hotmail.com.

Message from Noah,

“Thank you Lego for making these projects. I am working on a different ship of mine own. I will upload my picture soon and send it to the Brick Master magazine to win the prize money”.

Ships used as a model:

8039 Venator-class Republic Attack Cruiser

8016 Hyena Droid Bomber

Sincerely,

Noah

Please read other books by Noah at http://childauthor.wordpress.com/

Everybody That Has A Good Job

businessmatter — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:18:00 +0000

How do you earn one million dollars? This is the question that Noah considered when writing his newest book, “Everybody That Has A Good Job”, (in PDF 1.9 MB). Influenced by family members and his school teachers (especially his second grade teacher Mrs. Arms), Noah highlights in his book four key points worthy of our consideration.

1) You must have a good job achievable through education,
2) be kind to others that are less fortunate,
3) love what you do and teach others,
4) and you must have the right tools for the job.

Message from Noah,

“With many people not working, I hope my book helps everyone that needs a job find one. Just like my teacher Mrs. Arms has helped me learn, I hope my book helps everyone.”

Sincerely,

Noah

Please read other books by Noah at http://childauthor.wordpress.com/

A Day About Animal Classification

businessmatter — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 02:14:00 +0000

Animals are classified in a variety of ways. This helps scientists to study the relationships in animal groups and to see the whole animal family tree. The fact that scales are a characteristic that make a fish a fish and not a mammal may seem obvious to you or I, but to a 2nd grader, focus on these differences introduces the learning mind to the many unique details that make our planet diverse. Through Noah’s latest book, “A Day About Animal Classification” (in PDF 1.35 MB) , he shares with us his learning through text and illustrations.

Message from Noah,

“There are so many creatures in the world and having them organized helps me learn about them in small pieces. I hope you learn something new through my book, I know I have.”

Sincerely,

Noah

Please read other books by Noah at http://childauthor.wordpress.com/

Alien Captures the Moon

businessmatter — Sun, 31 May 2009 03:07:00 +0000

From space aliens to earth monsters, they all seem to blend together when Noah and I chat about his creations. However, his latest drawing caught my eye because his inspiration was derived from his love of the Peregrine Falcon. Noah’s latest original art work called, “Alien Captures the Moon”, displays raptor like characteristics with its puffy legs and wings at the ready for a speedy flight to the moon. Researching New Hampshire’s successful breading program, Noah was pleased to read the bird was taken off the endangered species list in 2008. Recently Noah and I traveled to Franconia Notch, NH for leisurely fun and unfortunately did not see the bird in the wild. With a promising future, the bird is still threatened by flame-retardant chemicals called PBDEs. Eager to bring awareness to the raptors plight, Noah wanted to provide his readers with a PDF version of his drawing. Also available are JPG’s in the following screen sizes 800 X 600, 1024 X 768, 1280 X 1024 and a variety of colors red, blue or green!

Available for Download

Color Red – PDF 800 X 600 1024 X 768 1280 X 1024

Color Blue – PDF 800 X 600 1024 X 768 1280 X 1024

Color Green – PDF 800 X 600 1024 X 768 1280 X 1024

Message from Noah,

“Please consider donating to the conservation effort in support of my favorite raptor by clicking on this link”.

For donations to my college fund, read below!

A PayPal account has been established for donations. Please do not forget to add Noah’s website to your RSS feed and receive regular updates on his newest books and art. If you wish to contact the author/artist, please use my email NormanLaythe@hotmail.com or leave a comment in his blog.

Books and Art by Noah at http://childauthor.wordpress.com/

Murphy vs. Opossum

businessmatter — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:27:00 +0000

Learning to get along is a task some adults have trouble mastering and with Noah’s latest book, “Murphy vs. Opossum” (in PDF 34 MB), there is a lesson that can be learned by all, “How to Get along!”. Negotiation skills are better for solving problems than fighting according to Noah. Download the PDF and learn how a squirrel, opossum and dog (Noah’s dog Murphy) avoided battle with their timely cool level headed words and forged a lasting friendship!

I hope you enjoy Noah’s fictional book as much as I have and feel free to support his objective to raise money for college through his PayPal account. Please do not forget to add Noah’s website to your RSS feed and receive regular updates on his newest books and art. If you wish to contact the author, please use my email NormanLaythe@hotmail.com.

Message from Noah,

“Learning to get along is something I am taught in school through our community of learning objectives and what better way to share this idea of getting along through my story “Murphy vs. Opossum” (in PDF 34 MB).”

Sincerely,

Noah

Please read other books by Noah at http://childauthor.wordpress.com/