Wayne Husband And Wife Create New Children's Book

WAYNE, NJ — It started with some daydreaming and a doodle.

Eric Salvesen was sitting in art class one day, bored. So, he started writing.

"It was a stream of consciousness and I put a version of the story on this piece of paper," Salvesen said.

Sometime later, Salvesen's wife Laura Sullivan, a graphic designer, was doodling at work. She drew a picture of Salvesen's troll living under a bridge.

"We joked that it would make a good children's book," said Salvesen, who works at an optics manufacturing company.

The couple worked on the story together and Sullivan created watercolor paintings for "A Bridge Troll's Tale."

"The story is a bit Roald Dahl and a bit of Shel Silverstein," Sullivan said. "It's about a troll who realizes he doesn't have a name or any friends so he goes on a journey to figure himself out."

The troll meets some interesting characters on his journey, including some farm animals who are rude to him.

The husband and wife team hope that the book teaches kids not to be mean to one another and inspires them to have confidence in themselves. They've sold about 80 so far. They would like to donate some to local libraries.

"We've had really little kids enjoy it," Sullivan said. "We're working on another book on the side."

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Photos: The cover of "A Bridge Troll's Tale" and the author, Eric Salvesen and Laura Sullivan, the book's illustrator. Courtesy of Laura Sullivan