Todd Parr keeps his message simple.

The best-selling author and illustrator admits that he has a short attention span, but he says that likely helps him connect with children.

“I can go in and engage with kids right away from that mindset — that everything should be engaging and fun,” Parr said. “I didn’t have to go in there and practice being around kids. It was very easy for me to think like they do.”

Parr’s message might be simple, but the lessons in his more than 30 books address important issues, including diversity, acceptance, and loss.

“The rewarding thing is not just that I write children’s books, but that I am making a difference — helping kids and families and teachers with things that are sometimes hard to explain,” Parr said. “I like to write simple stories, but I feel that my books are making difference in kids around the world, helping them be stronger, confident people.”

Parr will visit Bowling Green State University as part of the college’s annual Literacy in the Park. The event is set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in Perry Field House.

“We look for someone who can make literacy come alive, and that’s Todd for sure,” said Tim Murnen, director of the BGSU school of teaching and learning.

Parr’s appearance comes just days after the release of his latest book, Teachers Rock!

The idea for the book originated years ago when Parr developed a successful back-to-school checklist on social media that featured some useful and silly tips for teachers.

“I think from there it really led into some more thought, thinking about teachers and appreciating all that they do and what they deal with every day and how they make school so much fun,” Parr said.

The author frequently visits schools around the world and sees firsthand the effect teachers have on their students. He realized that his perspective on the importance of teachers has changed since he was a child.

“I think there was more fondness for all that they do, and this was a way to celebrate them in a simple and fun way, and, at the same time, show that going to school can be fun,” Parr said.

As do many adults, the author recalls a certain teacher who made a lasting impression on his own life: Mrs. Judson, who taught fourth-grade at his elementary school in Wyoming.

“Of course, I was in love with her like several of my teachers, but she was the most beautiful of them all,” Parr said with a laugh “She encouraged me to be creative, looking back, and I didn’t realize that [at the time].”

With the success of his books, including It’s Okay to Be Different, It’s Okay to Make Mistakes, The I Love You Book, The Underwear Book, and the Otto series, it’s easy to assume that Parr had always aspired to become a children’s author. But in reality, his art led him to the profession.

Parr has always had a passion for art, but his style wasn’t universally accepted. In fact, he failed high school art classes, in part, because of his simplicity.

“My art style has really been the same as it was ever since high school,” Parr said. “I’ve just learned to refine it and accept that it’s OK to draw like a 6-year-old now.”

He struggled to exhibit in galleries, but his perseverance paid off. He eventually showed his art in Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant in San Francisco, which led to creating merchandise for Macy’s and then developing a children’s clothing line. Then, someone suggested writing children’s books.

“[My art is] much better interpreted and received in my books, because it looks so young,” he said. “So for me, this is how I got into publishing — I was just doing these canvasses and putting messages on them, like Be Who You Are and It’s Okay to Be Different. Those really became the premise of my books when the idea was suggested to me.

“It seems like a natural [progression] now, but it’s not what I was searching to do.”

His books are recognizable for their bright, bold colors.

“I’ve always loved primary colors,” Parr said. “With my art style to stay with very simple bright colors, it’s just what I know and do, and it seems to work.”

In the beginning, Parr said his “cutting” style had people wondering what the books were.

His first book, It’s Okay to Be Different, was released in 2001. Others followed, and they led to the animated series ToddWorld, which was created in 2002 for Discovery Kids. It received three Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Children’s Animated Program and aired on Discovery Kids and TLC until 2008. 

The approach was basically “if my books could talk, what would they say?” Parr said.

He now does some short films for Sesame Street.

Parr travels around the world promoting his books and literacy. Most recently, he visited an American school in China, where his The Goodbye Book (2015) will be released in simplified Chinese next month.

“When I look back, the odds of coming this far were so much greater than I even knew,” Parr said. “When I realized I had more self-confidence than I thought and I went back to my art, a lot of what I did was driven by denial, if you will. I wasn’t going to listen. I wasn’t thinking. Somehow, I was going to figure it out.”

In November, Parr plans to release Be Who You Are, which will recognize an anniversary of sorts, looking back at the 16 years since It’s Okay to Be Different was released.

“Thinking about [It’s Okay to Be Different], I wondered, ‘What would you say now?’ and I came up with Be Who You Are. It’s really about celebrating uniqueness of kids.”

Parr will give presentations at 10:30 a.m. and noon Saturday during Literacy in the Park. 

The 12th annual indoor event will offer activities for children as young as 4 and as old as 12. Other activities and entertainment are a performance poet/​storyteller, lessons on Chinese and Arabic, and sports broadcasting.

About 500 families are expected to attend.

To register, visit bgsu.edu/​events/​literacy-in-the-park. Registration will also be available Saturday.

Contact Shannon Kolkedy at: skolkedy@theblade.com.

First Published April 20, 2016, 4:00 a.m.