Dave publishes 20 books (21 photos)

When some people hit milestone anniversaries like their tenth, they start a new chapter.

Never one to do things halfway, Dave Jones of Turtle Concepts is turning out 20 new books.

The children's books about a young Ojibway boy, Mishee, are somewhat autobiographical, Jones told a crowd gathered in the Garden River Recreation Centre to celebrate the local personal development company's anniversary.

He hopes the first book in the series, Mishee goes goose hunting, will be released in time for Christmas.

And there's already interest from school boards across the province.

"It's the first time a serial featuring an Anishinabe child will have been published and it was written and illustrated by Anishinabe," Jones says.

The series, he explains, will be kind of like Dora the Explorer, only an Ojibway boy will be the main character and he will explore First Nations cultures across Canada.

The books were inspired by Jones' kindergarten students in Moose Factory, and by one of the questions they often asked him; "What sort of Indian are you?"

They were illustrated by one of his turtles, Thunder Nanie.

Turtle Concepts inspires confidence and self-esteem in all its turtles (graduates) and Jones announced he'll be launching a not-for-profit organization from the roots of Turtle Concepts that will aim at the same goal.

Some of the proceeds from the sales of the books will go to that organization and the work it does around the world.

At the Garden River celebration, Jones held a grand giveaway, gifting at least 100 of his friends and relatives to celebrate the anniversary in Anishinabe style.

Attendees also heard from a few of his turtles.

"Dave is one of those special gifted warriors who's out there fighting for all of us," said Doug Davey. "He has touched many lives."

Davey wasn't kidding.

In all, Turtle Concepts has 20,000 turtles running around in the world, spreading confidence and self-esteem among people of all ages and in many places around the world.

Turtle Concepts offers workshops, conferences, boot camps, esteem extravaganzas and amphibia lounges that deal with issues faced today by First Nations and non-First Nations.

Jones travels a lot to deliver Turtle Concepts services and always brings along a turtle or two, sometimes more, to tell their stories.

Until now, the project has not been funded by direct government sources, but Jones announced that, with the formation of the not-for-profit organization, Turtle Concepts would finally be looking for government funding as well.

He wants to bring confidence and self-esteem to more people across the country and he believes, after speaking with retired government administrators, that the governments of Ontario and Canada may want to support his efforts.

To learn more about Turtle Concepts, click here.