OCEANSIDE, Calif. — An identical twin is completing his brother's childhood dream more than 50 years after a tragic death. In this Zevely Zone, I headed to Oceanside to share a new children's book called 'The Varmits'.
When the Lamb family suffered a family tragedy in 1971, as painful as it was, their story was still unwritten.
"Here are some great twin pictures," said John Lamb. He and his brother Dave were identical twins who shared a magical Southern California childhood. Even John can't tell the difference between Dave and him in the childhood pictures. "Any picture of the two of us up until the age of 10 I don't know which is which," said John with a big smile.
Tragically, that bond was broken in 1971. Dave, at age 18, was killed in a car crash. "I was in the car, my friend was driving," said John. "But it took out my brother. He was sitting in the passenger seat. It was really tough, it was very difficult. Losing my identical twin brother, especially at such a young age, was devastating. My world and my family's world was turned upside down." Before he died, Dave wrote and illustrated three children's books. "These are the originals," said John. "This is The Creature and basically this book is about Karma. The characters are so great."
The second book was called The Critter. "This is about picking up after yourself, picking your toys up and cleaning up your room," said John. The third book is about respect. "Here's The Varmits," said John. The Varmits tells the story of children who learn valuable life lessons after their rude and selfish behavior leads them to "not feeling very happy inside". Through their experiences, the varmits discover that sharing and being polite can bring happiness and friendship.
Dave was not able to finish the books before his death. "No he didn't," said John. More than 50 years later, John, now known as Pop Pop snuck The Varmits into his grandson Elvis' bookshelf, which led to a surprising phone call from John's son. "He's going Dad you didn't tell us you put that book in Elvis' bookshelf, I said oh I forgot to tell you. Well he said it's his favorite book, he just loves it. I said really? He said Dad you ought to think about completing it," said John. "When The Varmits became his favorite book, I realized it was time to finish it." Elvis helped write the newly illustrated version of The Varmits.
"This is a remake of Dave's work," said John. John has published Dave's dream. The old book was dusty and falling apart, but the new version is glossy and sleek and ready for bookshelves across the country. John spent his life becoming a legend in the world of animation. He won an Academy Award in 1979. He is celebrated for being a pioneer in animation. "This is an Emmy," said John with a smile. He recently received the award for his lifetime of achievements in animation. John revolutionized the animation production process by co-inventing Lyon Lamb Video Animation System.
John may also animate The Varmits, but more memorable than any award is reading The Varmits to Elvis. "Varmits live in every town, every now and then one comes around," read John. His grandson Elvis (4) then yelled out, "There's a ladybug again." Elvis asked his Pop Pop to hide a ladybug on every page. The book is a gift to his grandson, but it's dedicated to Dave. John will never see his twin brother again, but thanks to The Varmits, Dave's characters were brought back to life to live forever. "I think Dave would be absolutely thrilled," said John.
Though Dave passed away in 1971, John kept all of Dave's art projects. "We were prolific in our own way. We were always drawing, clowning around, working on our cars, and taking road trips. I never dreamed that one day, my grandson and I would get to honor Dave in this way."
The Varmits is available for purchase on Amazon. For more information, click here or go to thevarmits.com.