Dunclug College teacher Andrew Crooks shares a heartwarming message about self-belief in his third children's book

Local school teacher and children’s author, Andrew Crooks, holding his latest story book, ‘The Elf Who Found Himself’.

Tuesday 10 November 2026

A Ballymena teacher has turned an important lesson about confidence and self-belief, first shared with his own children, into a new Christmas story encouraging young readers to recognise their strengths and never give up on themselves.

Andrew Crooks, a maths teacher and Head of Year 9 at Dunclug College, has published his third children's book, The Elf Who Found Himself, introducing a young elf whose struggle to find his place at the North Pole reflects challenges familiar to many children growing up.

Released on Friday 6 November, the book draws on Andrew's experiences both as a father of three and a teacher with 23 years of experience in education, where he has seen how low confidence and constant comparisons with others can hold children back.

The new story marks a departure from his first two books, My Amazing Bedroom and My Amazing Bedroom 2, with a longer narrative, a central character facing repeated setbacks and a message that extends well beyond the Christmas season.

Meet Eddy, the elf who cannot find his place

Andrew Crooks’ latest children’s story book released just last week

At the North Pole, Christmas preparations are in full swing and every elf seems to have discovered a talent and a job they can do brilliantly.

Every elf, that is, except Eddy.

While those around him are busy putting their skills to work, Eddy struggles to find something he is good at. He tries different tasks, encounters disappointment and faces the growing temptation to give up.

But with encouragement from Santa and a determination to keep trying, Eddy eventually discovers that his place in the world may be somewhere nobody expected.

Andrew explained:

“I wanted to write something a little longer, with a narrative and a main character readers could immediately relate to and root for.”

The rhyming story is aimed at primary school children, combining the familiar magic of Christmas with an exploration of resilience, individuality and the importance of believing in yourself.

The family conversations that inspired the story

Andrew’s sons Scotty and Jonny pictured with their dad’s second book release.

The idea for Eddy's adventures came from Andrew's family life in Portrush, where he lives with his wife Anne and their three children, Lucy, Scotty and Jonny.

As their two eldest children grew older, Andrew and Anne noticed a growing competitiveness between them. It prompted conversations about why everyone has different strengths and why being good at one thing does not mean someone must be equally good at everything else.

Rather than simply repeating that lesson, Andrew decided to explore it through a character children could understand and relate to. His children also helped develop the idea of an elf searching for his place at the North Pole.

He explained:

“Everyone finds their own place, and we're all unique. That's where Eddy came from. I wanted to give children a character who shows that finding your place can take time, and that it's okay to get there in your own way.”

It is a message Andrew hopes will resonate with children who sometimes feel overshadowed by a sibling, a classmate or a friend whose achievements appear to come more easily.

Why self-belief matters in the classroom

For Andrew, the challenges facing his fictional elf are closely connected to the experiences of young people he has encountered throughout his teaching career.

As a maths teacher and Head of Year 9 at Dunclug College, he believes helping pupils develop confidence, perseverance and a healthy understanding of their individual abilities is an important part of education.

“Low self esteem and self confidence are huge barriers to children reaching their full potential. My school experience over the past 23 years has shown me that when these two are lacking, progress can be difficult.”

Andrew with daughter Lucy.

Andrew believes that children can underestimate their abilities when they measure themselves against others, particularly if they struggle with something that appears to come naturally to their peers.

“As teachers we strive on a daily basis to promote the understanding that everyone is unique. Uniquely gifted, uniquely talented and with potential to achieve success in some significant way.”

He added:

“Your path might look different to someone else’s, and it will be, but to put yourself down by comparing yourself to others is to do yourself a great disservice.”

That philosophy lies at the heart of Eddy's story. Rather than discovering instant success, the young elf must learn to cope with disappointment and find the courage to try again.

Andrew said:

“As Eddy tries, and fails, at many tasks there’s an obvious temptation to give up. But he keeps going. Always one more try. Success might be closer, and more wonderful, than you ever imagined!”

A message for parents as well as children

While the book has been written for younger readers, Andrew believes its message is equally important for the adults who guide and encourage them.

Santa plays a significant role in Eddy's journey, providing support and reassurance when the young elf begins to doubt himself.

It reflects Andrew's belief that children need people around them who recognise their potential, particularly when they are struggling to see it for themselves.

He said:

“Every child deserves to have someone behind/beside them telling them they believe in them and to keep going. That’s what Santa does for Eddy. It makes a world of difference.”

For parents reading the book at bedtime, that relationship offers an opportunity to talk about setbacks, confidence and why a child's value should never be measured solely by their achievements.

Andrew hopes children will take away the reassurance that they do not need to be the best at everything, or follow the same path as everyone else, to find something they can succeed at.

Dunclug College teacher helps bring Eddy to life

The Elf Who Found Himself also has a creative connection to Dunclug College through the involvement of art teacher Mrs Simpson, whose work Andrew has admired for many years.

Having known his colleague for 22 years, Andrew had long hoped to draw on her artistic expertise when developing the characters for his new story.

Although the manuscript was written around three years ago, he had Mrs Simpson in mind from the outset and eventually asked her to read it.

She became the first person outside his family to see the story and agreed to sketch her interpretation of Eddy and Chief Elf, two of its central characters.

Andrew recalled:

“Her sketches were perfect! They became the foundation for every illustration that followed, though she didn’t actually create the final illustrations.”

Her original drawings provided the visual starting point for the book's illustrations, helping establish the characters' appearance without Mrs Simpson having to produce the finished artwork herself.

It is not the first time the two teachers have collaborated creatively. Mrs Simpson also contributed to the front cover of Andrew's debut book, My Amazing Bedroom.

From bedtime stories to published author

Andrew’s first two books, also available to purchase.

Andrew's journey into children's literature began with a light-hearted challenge from his wife Anne after years of reading bedtime stories to their children.

Originally from Ballymena, he attended Gracehill Primary School and Cambridge House Grammar School before pursuing a career in teaching. He has also been closely involved in local sport, having previously captained Ballymena Men's 1st XI hockey team.

His first book, My Amazing Bedroom, was inspired by daughter Lucy's vivid imagination and the dreams she regularly described to her parents.

The rhyming story follows a young girl whose bedroom transforms into extraordinary places while she sleeps, including a zoo and a sweet shop.

Andrew wrote the manuscript during lunch breaks and evenings, recording ideas on his phone before putting the story together. Encouraged by Anne, he submitted it to publishers and received an offer from Austin Macauley shortly before Christmas 2022.

The book was eventually published in March 2024, opening the door to opportunities Andrew had never anticipated when he first decided to try his hand at writing.

An unexpected journey into local schools

Following the publication of My Amazing Bedroom, Andrew was invited to share his work with children at primary schools across Ballymena and the north coast.

His visits included reading at a local nursery and taking part in a book fair at Dunclug Primary School for World Book Day. He also enjoyed seeing his debut title on the shelves at Waterstone’s in Coleraine.

Another memorable moment came when he finished third in a Favourite Children's Author Competition organised through local primary schools by the council to help pupils learn about elections.

The response introduced Andrew to a different side of school life, giving him opportunities to engage with younger children through storytelling rather than his usual subject of mathematics.

In June 2025, he published My Amazing Bedroom 2, a sequel inspired by his two sons after the original story had centred on Lucy.

Written approximately a month after the first manuscript, the follow-up retained the imaginative bedroom setting and rhyming format, this time following a little boy whose room transforms into different places as he sleeps.

A new chapter with a different purpose

With The Elf Who Found Himself, Andrew has taken his writing in a more reflective direction, moving beyond imaginative dream adventures to explore challenges that children may encounter in everyday life.

The new book is longer than his previous titles but retains a rhyming style intended to make it enjoyable for adults to read aloud and accessible to children as their independent reading skills develop.

Despite having now published three books, Andrew remains firmly committed to his full-time teaching role at Dunclug College, which he says will continue to take priority over promotional activities.

There are currently no confirmed public events associated with the new release, although he hopes to arrange giveaways, including one with Clive Fulton Eyecare, which has supported his writing.

For Andrew, the real value of the latest book lies in the conversations it might encourage between children and the adults who care for them.

Behind the festive setting and Eddy's attempts to find his place at the North Pole is a message shaped by years in the classroom and experiences at home: children develop at different speeds, discover different talents and sometimes need someone else to believe in them before they can believe in themselves.

And as Eddy discovers, finding your place is not always about being better than everyone else. Sometimes it is about having the courage to keep trying until you discover what makes you unique.