Dago Benavidez has drawn since he was a child; now he is a published author.  His first book, “Rusty and Me,” is now available via Amazon. Now a resident of south Salem, Benavidez is a 1973 graduate of McNary High School. In the book, Benavidez uses a little dog named Rusty that the main character gets as a child. They grow up playing together. Then the little dog passes away due to old age.  The child starts experiencing the five stages of grief.  “I’ve always liked to do a little bit of poetry, but what inspired me to do this little book writing is that I used to be with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). He was a CASA volunteer for almost seven years and he served on the national board for the CASA Advisory Committee. The idea came to him to write the book for the children going through the court and judicial systems. He saw a need for his book. “There were things going on around the children served by CASA. I wrote this  book for that purpose, to try to explain to them some things that could be going on in their lives,” said Benavidez.  “There’s so much going on around the kids,” he continued,  “due to what’s going on in their homes, unstable situations. That’s why they’re in the court system. And I just thought, I’m going to write this little guy so they at least try to get a handle on what’s some of the things like grief that’s happening in their life.” Because there are many Latino kids in the CASA system, Benavidez wrote it in both English and Spanish. “Rusty and Me”/”Rusty Y Yo” is a story about a boy or a girl. It can be either one. One page is in English and the facing page is in Spanish. “Children are all the same,” Benavidez said. “I can read it to them in English or Spanish, or if they’re practicing English or Spanish, they can use that because the words on one page are the same on facing pages. That’s why he wrote about the five stages of grief and how to deal with them. Benavidez said kids can get a handle on the five stages of grief. And they’re not always on the same sequence. They can vary. So it just allows you to open the door to talk to them about it. “It could be for anything, it could be a loved one. It could be a pet. It can be utilized for lots of different situations,” he said. For Benavidez, the story came first, followed by the illustrations in colored pencil. He has enjoyed drawing and painting since he was a youngster. Besides pencil, he also paints in oil. Two of his oils have graced the back cover of CASA’s national magazine, each filled with symbolism about kids getting help from adults, then flying away in freedom. His paintings have also been displayed at the state capitol building and at the Salem Art Association. The first publication of the book from Amazon had no illustrations. Benavidez rejected that version because it hw felt it needed drawings. For assistance translating his English words into Spanish, he turned to the Mexican consulate. “I asked them if they would translate the Spanish section for me. Because as you know, there are many dialects. They were more than happy to help me. And then they allowed me to use their logo.”  It took a month for the author to write the book and another month to draw the illustrations. “I made (the illustrations) pretty simple. because this is geared towards children,” he said. The author’s inspiration comes when Benavidez sees a situation that he thinks needs to be addressed.  “That’s my inspiration for my writing,” he said. As for illustrations, Benavidez said it’s the beauty. “If I see something, I just to to paint it. It just comes. “ When it comes to painting or drawing, the author’s studio is at home. “The wife has relegated me to one of the bedrooms,” he chuckled. Though he now calls Salem home, Benavidez has lived all around the country from Michigan, to Utah.  His advice for aspiring authors and artists is to stick to the original idea and don’t force it. He suggest that you feel what’s in your heart “Put it down on paper or on canvas.”  Benavidez’s favorite authors are John Steinbeck, especially his Grapes of Wrath. He is also a fan if Ernest Hemingway, because he wrote about things he experienced, such as in For Whom the Bell Tolls.  “Just that if  we can contribute a little bit of positivity, I really feel good about that. If you do what you can, where you’re at; to add a little bit of positivity.” Cover of Rusty and Me/Rusty Y Yo. (Courtesy) This article was originally published in the Keizertimes and is reprinted with permission. Contact Keizertimes at [email protected]. News tip? Email [email protected]. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a m The post Salem artist pens bilingual children’s book appeared first on Salem Reporter.