This is my Hero Storybook that I made with a wonderful artist named Peg Gignoux. I made it for my grandfather. Here are some paragraphs I put in my storybook.

Hero Story
by Nichole Hanna

My hero’s name is George Ashoo. He was born on May 24, 1933 and is currently 76 years old. He was born in Basrah, Iraq and had many jobs, but now is retired. He currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with Samira (his wife). He has also had three children: Hala, Basil, and Dena(my mom). My hero is my grandfather.

My grandfather had a very hard childhood. His family was very poor so he grew up with nothing to play with and nowhere to go and have fun. He had three brothers and four sisters. He was the fourth brother, so eight in all! Wow! When my grandfather started school, he did not like it and thought it was boring, so he sometimes went to school and sometimes skipped his classes. His dad had to work every day for a living, but they were still very poor. My grandfather went to high-school and then to college. Then he left his family and went to England to get his diploma. He worked in Scotland for a long time before he went back to Iraq and became a manager. Then he got fired and moved to Kuwait and had a family.

My grandfather is very smart. He worked hard to get his diploma in England. He worked in an oil company. He was also a mechanical engineer in Kuwait. When he heard about a better life, he was never afraid to move to find it. He worked for his money and used his skills to help him get there! My grandfather ended up being a very successful man, and he used his intelligence to help him get there!

My grandfather is very creative because he loves to paint and make things for others with his hands. He has made stools, paintings, bird houses, and much more! There is even a bird nest in one of the bird houses in his garden! In his garden, he grows cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, figs, beans, okras, cabbages, zucchinis, and squashes! He has created paintings capturing sunsets on a beach with birds and children playing. Another picture he has painted was a dinosaur in a forest full of big prehistoric plants and small ones too! My grandfathers creativity is one of the traits I admire most about him.

My grandfather was also very brave. Think about leaving your very poor family behind to go to England and get a diploma. Think about how much money it would have cost my grandfather’s family to send him there in the first place. Like I said before, my grandfather saw a better life somewhere and he went to go find it. He went to England to study and to learn. By getting an education he did find a better life. He received many jobs and many opportunities, only because he was brave enough to make that one trip to England.

My grandfather has a big influence on my life. From his stories, he has taught me that you should never be scared of something because you may never get the chance to do it again.  I think it’s amazing how he could be so brave and smart, and still be a great artist. He has also helped me with all of my artwork and schoolwork.  He has always been there for me and  that is why I believe he is my hero!