99-year-old WWII veteran launches career as children’s book author: ‘Reading is a foundation’

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A 99-year-old World War II veteran has made a new career for himself by writing children’s books. 

Sam Baker, 99, from Scottsdale, Arizona, joined the Marine Corps in 1942, just four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. 

When he returned to civilian life in the fall of 1947, Baker joined the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, which is now the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Baker worked for NOAA for 30 years before he retired.

At the age of 95, Baker decided to take up writing.

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Baker told Fox News Digital that his son encouraged him to write his first children’s book, "The Silly Adventures of Petunia and Herman the Worm," which was published in 2018.

The book is based on stories Baker used to tell his children about a worm named Herman when they were growing up. 

Sam Baker, a 99-year-old World War II veteran, has started a new career for himself writing children's books.  (Ruby Rideout)

In 2020, Baker published his second book, "Oscar the Mouse," based on Baker’s own childhood. 

"When I was a youngster, somebody gave me a white rat as a pet," Baker said. 

Baker added that even though people always "cringe" when he tells them he had a pet rat, his rat "was the cleanest thing you ever saw."

"She and I used to have a good rapport," Baker said. "But my mother wouldn’t let me take her in the house, so I had to build a cage for her outside."

Sam Baker joined the Marine Corps in 1942 and served during World War II. He is pictured in 1944. (Courtesy of Sam Baker Books)

After he wrote "The Silly Adventures of Petunia and Herman the Worm," Baker said he was reminded of his beloved pet rat and decided to write a book about her, too. 

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Instead of a rat, though, he chose to change the character to a mouse, "because people accept mice over rats," Baker said.

Baker said his third book will follow Oscar the mouse through more adventures. Baker told Military Families Magazine that the book is expected to be published later this year.

Baker told Fox News Digital that he wanted to write children's books to help inspire young people to read, because "reading is a foundation for all other learning." (Ruby Rideout)

Baker’s own journey with reading had its challenges. He told Fox that his teachers taught him to read using the sight say method, which made it difficult for him to read. He said he didn’t learn phonics until he was an adult. 

However, he said he developed a love for reading in the ninth grade when he had to write a dozen book reports in one year.

Another significant moment in Baker’s journey to becoming a children’s book author was many years later, when his eldest daughter, Sally, was just 3 years old. 

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At the time, Baker said, his wife used to read to Sally every day, and one day, Sally decided to read to Baker. 

"She had me sit on the couch, she got her favorite children’s book, climbed into my lap, faced away from me, read me the whole book, closed it with authority, turned around and gave me the biggest smile," Baker said.

Sam Baker’s first book, "The Silly Adventures of Petunia and Herman the Worm," is based on the stories Baker used to tell his children when they were growing up. The book came out in 2018.  (Courtesy of Sam Baker Books)

However, the book had been upside down, Baker said. Regardless, he hugged her and gave her a kiss for her achievement. 

Seeing his daughter so proud of herself "demonstrated to me her will to learn to read," Baker said. "And it stayed with me."

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Aside from his son’s encouragement, Baker said he was inspired to write children’s books to encourage kids to read. 

"Reading is a foundation for all other learning," Baker said. "If you don’t know how to read, you’re going to have a hard time learning."

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"If I could just get one child to learn to read, that would be worth all the problems and the costs," Baker added. "I’m not making any money. I don’t want to make money. I want children to learn to read."