"Make Us A Part Of Your Day"

Cheryl Bielli, illustrator of “The Boy Who Never Threw Anything Out,” reads their book to a group of people at Trail Station Park pavilion in Gloversville on Thursday.

GLOVERSVILLE — Six-year-old Kolbe Zimmerman hopped up off the bench of the picnic table where he was sitting with his 8-year-old brother Kyle Zimmerman and mother Jessica Zimmerman and quickly pointed to the large illustration on the easel. 

He had found a chicken that illustrator Cheryl Bielli had hidden in a picture in the book “The Boy Who Never Threw Anything Out” by Margie Peterson of Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Bielli, a former Gloversville School District art teacher, had asked the three children in attendance for a reading of the book Thursday morning at Trail Station Park to participate in finding the chickens on the original illustrations she designed for the book while she read the story to them. 

“They love puzzles,” said Jessica Zimmerman of Mayfield.

The book, which goes on sale nationally on Sept. 6, is about a boy named Tommy who gets trapped in his room after he begins hoarding many items like toys and books. 

“It’s hilarious,” Bielli said.

During the reading, Bielli also spoke about the various artistic concepts that went into creating the pages, such as items that are meant to be closer in a photo are drawn in more detail, while parts of the picture that are supposed to be further away are drawn in less detail. 

She also educated kids on copyright

Bielli said she’s been drawing since she was a kid. Both her parents were artistic and found ways to share their abilities, like her dad who owned a bakery and would decorate cakes. 

“I think it’s just in our wiring,” Bielli said, noting her brother is also a cartoonist. 

This is the illustrator’s first book, and she’s always wanted to write her own, too. 

One of the ideas for a book she wants to work on is a story about a kid who gets his finger stuck in his nose while picking it. It’s based on some interactions she’s had with children, she said. 

The illustrations, which took about 200 hours to finish, are done in watercolors, according to Bielli.

She said one of the pages took 30 hours to paint. 

“Margie gave me real specific directions for the scenes that she wanted,” she said.

Bielli said finally getting to see the book and having it ready for sale is exciting. The book was delayed about two years due to COVID, she said. 

She was also really happy to see how the kids and adults reacted to the books.

“I think the book is memorable and resonates with every generation,” Bielli said. “We’re all hoarders in some little respect.”  

Kyle Zimmerman said his favorite page was one featuring a blow torch, while his brother loved the second to last page, which is of a puzzle where the reader has to find hidden items. 

Bielli said there is a tiny mistake on that penultimate page — a spoon is hidden in the photo but was mistakenly not included in the list of things to find. 

The book also features some questions on the last page and instructions for another activity. 

At the end of the event, Bielli handed out papers that had the character Tommy from the book drawn out but missing details like his face. She asked everyone to draw those details and include junk in the picture like in the book. 

Kyle Zimmerman said he’d draw in his R2-D2 hat. Jessica Zimmerman said he should add in whistler — a now-deflated toy dog balloon. 

“He won’t get rid of it,” she said, laughing.

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Gloversville WeatherGloversville, US 3:55 pm, August 26, 2022 75°F clear sky Wind: 8 mph Sunrise: 6:15 am Sunset: 7:43 pm