'My Prize Puppy': Bluewater Elementary teacher publishes book she wrote in fifth grade

NICEVILLE — What was once an assignment during a creative writing class is now an inspirational and heartwarming story about perseverance and the power of imagination.

Stephanie Lafitte, a second-grade teacher at Bluewater Elementary School, wrote the story during a creative-writing class in fifth grade. She recalls that the story's inspiration came from trips to the mall with her family. Each trip, she stopped at a pet store, where she would watch puppies in the window, and she would beg her parents to take one home.

"We would go to the mall, and I would sit at the pet store every time, and I would look at all the little puppies on the window," Lafitte recalled. "I was like, 'Can I go look at the puppies?' And of course, my parents said, 'You're not getting a puppy."

The little girl in "the story "My Prize Puppy" is unnamed but can be seen as a stand-in to Lafitte, as the character is depicted wearing purple-colored clothing, Lafitte's favorite color.

The story's catalyst, which leads to a heartwarming conclusion, is the character's lack of the $10 required to buy a dog from the store.

In spite of feeling sorry for herself, the main character decided to spend her piggy bank savings on what she could afford — a dog leash. The following chain of events sees the character do everything a normal dog owner would do, from playing fetch to walks after dinner, even going so far as entering her puppy into a dog show.

The self-laminated, staple-bound notepad on which Lafitte originally wrote her story almost 40 years ago sat untouched in her parents' house, along with other short stories she penned throughout her childhood.

After her father, Paul, was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2021, her sister found the short story while cleaning up the attic. Lafitte originally threw these stories away, except for "My Prize Puppy," after her father and sister urged her to keep it.

Lafitte then took the book home, where it again sat untouched until December 2022, when her father died. After rediscovering it, she noted that the dog show was held on the same date as her father's birthday, May 16.

"Little things like that just told me to do it," Lafitte said.

These little things then led to conversations with her husband about publishing the book. Those talks prompted Lafitte to contact book publishers, with four publishers immediately reaching out. By August 2023, Lafitte ultimately decided to make a deal with Dorrance Publishing Company in Pittsburgh.

After receiving her first copy, Lafitte said that her family's initial reaction to the story was positive. She points out that her mom, who usually doesn't show much emotion, was "giggly" while reading it.

Lafitte said she's sure her father would be a fan of the book.

"He would literally have tons of these. He would buy a hundred and more and have them in his car," Lafitte laughed. "I promise you, he would go to everybody. He would probably go everywhere in this city and sell these for me.

"He always told me, 'I am so proud of you,' like every week, 'I'm so proud of you. You always wanted to be a teacher and you followed through. You never even steered from the path.'"

After overwhelming support from her family, it was time to debut the book in front of her class. Lafitte said she was initially apprehensive about sharing the book with her students. Those doubts subsided as she began reading the book to her class for the first time.

"They literally did not make a sound," Lafitte said. "I thought to myself, 'Holy cow, this is a really good book.'"

The sentiment was shared by fellow teachers as well. Lafitte said her co-teacher's father had shed a tear or two by the end of the book.

"That makes my heart so happy," Lafitte said.

In addition to her student's love of the book, the kids were also in for another surprise as they saw the illustrations by Bill Ivins. Before moving to second grade, Lafitte taught a grade lower for most of her career. Because of this, some other kids in the book live on in her story as characters in the book.

The dog in the story also resembles one of her two real dogs, Ghost, an Australian shepherd-golden retriever mix rescued from The Alaqua Shelter following Hurricane Michael in 2018. Lafitte said Ghost will be the main character in her next book, which is in the early stages of writing.

Those interested in purchasing a copy of "My Prize Puppy" to learn of its heartwarming conclusion can visit the Dorrance Publishing website at https://tinyurl.com/mrw7dxxy.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Bluewater Elementary teacher becomes a children's book author