A story by Z

Zayden “Z” Ramos loves to read almanacs, fact books and travel books.  He has a fantastic memory—as in, he can tell you which stock photo has appeared in which other books.

That’s not all.  He knows three languages. Well, Chinese is admittedly still a challenge but he’ll most probably sail through it because he wants to be a polyglot and is currently very keen on learning French.

He is a whiz at car models, and knows all sorts of trivia about other kinds of transportation as well.

And he has written a book about a bunch of people with super powerful rides and gadgets.

So how old do you think Zayden is?

Five years young.

Back in the day when he was 4 and in pre-preschool, he started telling his dad a story about an expert mechanic in Las Vegas who “wants to fight the bad guys to help protect the earth.”  Steve Hunter—not a bad name for a mechanic—had a superpowered car with ultra modern weapons, but he knew he needed more help. So off he went to different parts of the world to collect his teammates.

Good thing dad Miguel and mom Ces recognized a book-in-the-making as Z was telling the story character by character.

The result, called “The Hunters,” is a happy cross between a children’s book and a graphic novel, thanks to the illustrations by KaJo Baldisimo, the same award-winning artist behind the insanely popular “Trese” series.

With the size and feel of a picture book, “The Hunters” will appeal to early readers between 4 and 8.

Kiddie superheroes

It is a child’s version of a superhero book where the action involves characters who like cars and computers—just like the author—and enjoy reading, drawing, playing the piano and swimming—again just like the author.

On this meet-the-author day, Z is doing a lot of doodling on a white board.  Why didn’t he illustrate his own book?  “Because I don’t know how to draw,” he replies.  But one day he will?  “Yeah,” he says with confidence.

It used to be that boys Z’s age didn’t like to have anything to do with girls. But times have changed.  Two women got recruited to help save earth from an alien invasion in Z’s book.

Did the young storyteller think women were strong enough to fight and rescue the planet?  Yes, he says.  What could they do, he is asked.  “Everything,” he says. A boy after every modern woman’s heart.

Z has a high regard for Renaissance men “like     Leonardo Da Vinci” and wouldn’t mind being one except, he says with a laugh, “I just quit my art lessons.”

He thinks all his classmates at his preschool have read his book. His teacher bought two copies at the book’s launching at Bestsellers in Robinsons Galleria.

When asked by host Alexandra Padilla why he came up with the story for “The Hunters” he answered, “My dad said I was going to get paid P1,000 for it.”

But he wants more now. “I get extra P200 and extra P300,” he tells his dad.  Only fair because he has been signing copies and doing interviews lately.

Just what did the Ramoses do to have a son who could write a book at age 4? Aside from telling him he’ll get paid P1,000?

“We’re actually both dumbfounded,” says Miguel.  “We still can’t figure out where that was coming from.  But we did read to him from day one.  And read … and read … and read to him. No TV and no video games for the first two years of his life.”

Z still doesn’t watch TV so he has plenty of time for reading, which he is doing at the second grade level. His favorite book, he says, is “Geronimo Stilton.” His mom asks if it is a picture book.  “A lot of pages don’t have pictures,” he explains.

He also likes the “Magic Treehouse” and the “Archie” comic books. Like most boys, he went through a “dinosaurs phase” when he devoured everything written about dinosaurs.

What will the young author do with the money he gets paid for the book?  He doesn’t know.  But wait!—yes, he does. He will spend it on Animal Kaiser, a game at the arcade.

At the end of the day, Zayden Ramos is still very much a   boy.

Published by Powerhaus, the local distributor of “Brainy Baby,” and priced at P169.75, “The Hunters” is available at National Book Store, Bestsellers  and Powerbooks.