Scottsdale WWII veteran writes new children’s book

Sam Baker hopes that sharing these stories will encourage children to read more and spark imagination.© Family photo

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - A 101-year-old World War II veteran in Scottsdale is set to release a new children’s book on Nov. 1. Author Sam Baker has always loved storytelling and has written several children’s novels over the past several years.

“It all started when my daughter was about three,” Baker said. “And I was home and she got a favorite book out, sat in my lap, and read the book entirely.”

Baker joined the Marine Corps. at just 19 years old in 1942, four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ever since returning home from the service, telling stories to his two kids has been his favorite pastime. “I had to be gone about 10 days a month and while I was gone, my wife, Janet, read to them. When I came home, they said, ‘No Dad, you tell us a story,’” Baker said.

In 2015, Baker decided to publish his first-ever children’s book. Many of his stories revolve around the great adventures of fictional animals. His most popular is Oscar the Mouse. “I had a pet rat as a kid, and she was a white rat. But you can’t write about rats because people cringe when you say the word rat,” Baker said.

Soon, Baker will release a new book called “Oscar Goes to The Vet.” The book is in honor of his dear friend Don Casey, who was a fellow veteran he met at his retirement home. “Don came back from the war and went on the G.I. Bill and became a veterinarian.”

Baker hopes that sharing these stories will encourage children to read more and spark imagination. “Reading is a way to educate yourself and if I can do that, all my efforts would have been repaid,” Baker said.