Bob Waldron is proud of his brand-new children’s book and rightfully so.
Waldron’s heartwarming book, “The Adventures of Sydney Leigh” takes young readers on an inspiring journey in which he answers humorous questions from children seeking answers to every-day life situations.
In a display of his considerable talents, Waldron, who works at General Electric in Lynn, also drew all the colorful illustrations that are sprinkled magically on each page of the book.
“It’s a book about the kind of questions that kids ask and I try to give them some age-appropriate answers,” said Waldron. “It stemmed originally from my first granddaughter Sydney.”
Sydney is the oldest of the five grandchildren to Bob (Papa) and Ann (Nana) Waldron, who have been married for 30 years. Sydney is now 18 years old and works as a hair stylist at a salon in Winthrop. Sydney’s mother is Nicole Nyland, who operates Nicole Nyland Skin Care on Broadway, Revere. Nana Nyland works at the popular Winthrop Arms Restaurant.
The other grandchildren are Aubree, Savannah, Sydney, Jacob, and Emily. One more grandchild will soon join the family.
Bob Waldron, 58, originally wrote the book 15 years ago when Sydney was four years old. He always yearned to publish the book and his dream became a reality this year.
Waldron’s own story is an inspirational one. He returned to college later in life and received an associate’s degree from North Shore Community College and bachelor’s degrees in English and History from UMass/Boston. He had begun his studies at Boston State College (which eventually became UMass/Boston) in the late 1970s.
“I’ve always had a love of reading and literature and it was like a bucket-list thing – I regretted not having my degree and I went back to school and got a full scholarship to UMass,” related Waldron.
Bob’s Beginnings in Beachmont
Waldron grew up in Beachmont and attended the Louis Pasteur and Mary T. Ronan Schools. He is a 1978 graduate of Revere High School.
In 1980s he began working at General Electric in Lynn.
“My colleagues at GE know I’ve written a book,” said Waldron. “They kind of think it’s cool. They were very surprised when they found out. They were excited for me. I’m a CMM [Coordinated Measuring Machine] aviation inspector.”
The book has drawn a positive response. Bob Waldron has begun working on his second “Adventures of Sydney Leigh” book that will include the story of Sydney asking her mother for a puppy and all the responsibilities that go along with owning a puppy.
His wife, Ann, said having the book published was a dream-come-true for the couple.
“I’m so proud of Bob,” said Ann, who grew up on Hall Street in Revere. “I knew he was an amazing illustrator when he would have caricatures on notes he would send to me. It’s a talent that he kept to himself before it finally came out in writing this book.”
“She is a big part of the whole story,” said Bob.
“The Adventures of Sydney Leigh” is available for purchase on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com and other book websites. The book is registered in the Library of Congress.