A Ballymena teacher has published his third children's book. Andrew Crooks, a maths teacher and Head of Year 9 at Dunclug College, released The Elf Who Found Himself on Friday 6 November. The rhyming story is aimed at primary school children and follows a young elf named Eddy who struggles to find a task he is good at at the North Pole, before eventually discovering his place with encouragement from Santa. It is Mr Crooks' first book with a longer narrative and a central character who faces repeated setbacks.

The idea originated in his family life in Portrush, where he lives with his wife Anne and their three children, Lucy, Scotty and Jonny. He said he and his wife noticed growing competitiveness between their two eldest children and held conversations about why people have different strengths. His children also helped develop the concept of an elf searching for his place. Mr Crooks said the story aims to show that finding your place can take time and that children should not measure themselves against others.

He linked the book's theme to his 23 years in education, saying low self-esteem and low self-confidence are significant barriers to pupils reaching their potential. He said teachers work daily to promote the understanding that everyone is unique and has potential to succeed in some significant way.

The book's illustrations have a connection to Dunclug College. Art teacher Mrs Simpson, a colleague of Mr Crooks for 22 years, was the first person outside his family to read the manuscript and agreed to sketch her interpretation of Eddy and Chief Elf. Mr Crooks said her sketches became the foundation for the illustrations that followed, though she did not create the final artwork. She also contributed to the front cover of his debut book, My Amazing Bedroom.

Mr Crooks' first book, My Amazing Bedroom, was inspired by his daughter Lucy and was published in March 2024 by Austin Macauley. A sequel, My Amazing Bedroom 2, was published in June 2025. He remains in his full-time teaching role at Dunclug College and said it will continue to take priority over promotional activities. No public events are currently confirmed for the new release, though he hopes to arrange giveaways.