Malibu resident Ricardo Ybarra uses his Latin roots in his story telling, which he hopes will entice nonreaders to immerse themselves in the tale of “Scratch and the Pirates of Paradise Cove.”
By Olivia Damavandi / Special to The Malibu Times
Hearing children say they don’t like to read is almost as common as hearing them say they don’t like broccoli. But Malibu resident and author Ricardo Ybarra has set out to change that with the publication of his first children’s book, “Scratch and the Pirates of Paradise Cove,” a “swashbuckling tale” written for youngsters ages eight to 12 that he will read Nov. 6 in Malibu at Diesel, A Bookstore.
“I really wanted to write it for kids who don’t care for reading that much, to try to turn them on to it [reading],” said Ybarra, adding, “I remember back when I was reading Robert Louis Stevenson; pirates still scare me, but there’s still that bit of fright and excitement at the same time. ‘Scratch and the Pirates of Paradise Cove’ is a fun adventure story.”
Born in 1950 in downtown Los Angeles and raised in Silverlake and Echo Park, Ybarra graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies and then sought to earn his teaching credentials from Cal State University Northridge. While at Northridge, Ybarra stumbled into a poetry class.
“It just clicked,” he said. “I love writing, it’s a wonderful creative outlet. I now make my living as a tile setter, and it’s wonderful to be able to come home, sit down and work on a writing project.”
Though his four published works range from literary fiction to crime fiction, Ybarra has managed to weave his cultural roots into each one.
“The Mexican side of my family, from Mazatlan, has been here since 1780,” he said. “I’m very proud of my Mexican roots and that we came to California so early. All my books have Latin influence in them.”
Accordingly, the two protagonists in his children’s book are Latino, reflecting Ybarra’s gusto for his lineage and serving as a positive way to expose youngsters to different cultures.
The self-proclaimed “blended Californian” said he writes about what he knows, and uses places he has lived in throughout his life as settings for his novels. Thus, it is no surprise that “Scratch and the Pirates of Paradise Cove” harks back to his move to Malibu’s Paradise Cove mobile home park in 1980.
“The book is about raising a child in Paradise Cove,” Ybarra said.
The story whisks its readers away on a high seas adventure with a boy named Rafi, his father, his friend named Matt and his beloved black cat, Scratch, who has an extra toe. One day Scratch goes missing and, during the search for him, Rafi finds a mysterious gold coin, which he tucks away in his shoe. After an unproductive day of searching for Scratch, Rafi and his father find themselves on a bluff overlooking the ocean when an earthquake catapults them onto a pirate ship and into the company of Captain Pinky, Willie Three Fingers and their pistol- and sword-equipped crew. Rafi and his father don’t know where they are or how they will get back home, but they do know they will have to face-off against these pirates, who have established an interest in the gold coin. The cannonball firing, treasure-filled adventure continues from here, enthralling children with illustrations and lively, well- developed characters.
Of his writing process, Ybarra said he lets his imagination be his guide. “There’s always a vague structure and then I go where the story takes me, but I always have an idea what I want to do [write about],” he said. “I like the whole creative process where I have an idea that’s not perfectly delineated and I can let my imagination run free. Sometimes it takes me surprising places.”
The book reading of “Scratch and the Pirates of Paradise Cove” by Ybarra will take place Nov. 6 at Diesel, A Bookstore, located at 3890 Cross Creek Road, at 6:30 p.m. More information can be obtained by calling 310.456.996.