One-time La Jolla student authors first children’s book

As most parents know, kids can ask a lot of questions.

And a new book by a former La Jolla student encourages them to do more of it.

“Axolotl Questions” by Jason Hodel — the title is intended to sound like “ask a lot of questions” — centers on two curious axolotls (a type of salamander) and best friends, Axey and Axel, who love asking questions.

The two go on a field trip to an axolotl museum, where they uncover a mysterious ancient treasure map, leading them on a treasure hunt full of surprises. In the end, and by asking the right questions, “they find that friendship … and that connection with others is more important than treasure. It is the true treasure,” Hodel said.

“Axoltl Questions” is Hodel’s first children’s book, but his background in education at La Jolla schools helped equip him with the skills to make it relatable to young readers, he said.

Hodel attended Muirlands Middle School as a child and was taught — and inspired — by his then-teacher Mark Heinze, who encouraged him to write.

“I had a project in middle school where we made a book and gave it to students at an elementary school, and I also got a number of different writing assignments that I really liked,” Hodel said. “So I got the idea to one day write a children’s book.”

Once he graduated from his own educational pursuits, Hodel started substitute teaching, including at Muirlands and San Diego-area high schools. In the process, he taught students of varying ages.

When it came time to write a book, he ran it past children in or not far removed from his target audience of ages 5-10.

“I would tell them what I was doing and get their feedback,” Hodel said. “I would ask what they thought … which provided a lot to learn, but it was a neat process to go through. The interactions with everyone along the way — from working on my notes and rough draft to sharing it with family and friends — was the best part.”

Though he found the process to be “hard,” Hodel said he intends to write more children’s stories.

“I want to encourage the kids to live their dreams,” he said. “I also want to have more wholesome stories with good morals out there, so if I can continue with that, that would be great. So I plan to create more with these characters and am thinking about future stories.”

“Axolotl Questions” is available on Amazon and is being carried by Surf Diva surf school at 2160 Avenida de la Playa in La Jolla Shores.