Throughout last year, Year 2 worked on the literary genre Fables. After months of in-depth study, the class worked together to rewrite a book of familiar stories, each with a new ending proposed by the children. In parallel, the student Maria, who loves writing and, more than anything, drawing, was writing and illustrating a very special work in her home – her very first book.
“One day I got sick and couldn’t go to school. So I thought: what can I do now? I know: I’ll write a book!” And that is how, naturally and spontaneously, “Eu conto um conto” was born, a book containing 10 never-before-seen stories written by Maria, each accompanied by illustrations crafted by her.
Maria says that a great source of inspiration for this creative process was her father. “He tells many great stories that he makes up himself!”
Cristina, Maria’s mother, recalls that since she was a little girl, Maria was encouraged to read both at home and at school. Her greatest passion is drawing. “She is highly inquisitive, enjoys exploring things independently on the computer, and is particularly drawn to the graphic and artistic aspects” – says her mother.
Cristina says it was a lengthy process from the day Maria conceived the idea of writing the book until it was published. “She would come home from school and devote herself to the book. She produced the back cover, the table of contents, the illustration of the pages, all by herself. It was a genuine effort on her part, which is still childlike and age-appropriate. It is a tiny seed that we just need to water. Among many other things, we are also here to make her dreams come true.”
Initially, Maria was going to present a copy to coordinator Gabriela as a gift What was meant to be a memento for the teacher ended up evolving into a beautiful shared experience for the entire class. “be.Living is very special. Maria was going to give a gift to Gabi and Gabi had the sensitivity to recognize how generous and kind it would be for the school and her friends to share this moment together.”
Our coordinator Gabriela emphasizes that teaching to read and write is not about teaching to code and decode words, but about showing children the social function of reading and writing. “Reading and writing connect, evoke emotion, and tell a story. Maria wrote a book of short stories where they all had a moral. We did some work with fables in the second grade. She produced a book of fables with her teachers last year. And look at the initiative she took: after going through the learning process at school, she wrote her own book!”
Maria’s commitment and creativity opened up a learning opportunity for everyone. Each child in the class received a copy of “Eu conto um conto” and the school organized a day to launch Maria’s book to the class. “Every person who writes a book is also responsible for editing, publishing, releasing, and autographing it. This is how the writer experiences the entire literary process. Maria, like all authors, has the right to experience the process of launching her literary work, to share her stories with those who will read them in her book. We did everything with great care. We took pictures, there was a vase on the table with flowers, she read some stories to the children, told her friends about the inspiration behind her book, it was amazing. We attempted to do it as it is in life. And that’s what it’s like in life,”- said Gabriela.
The book “Eu conto um conto” is now part of be.Living’s library, available to all children in the Reading Room. It is also in the homes of Maria’s friends and, of course, in her own. Maria has a five-year-old sister, who is in Blue. For Alice, her big sister is a great source of inspiration. “She loves Maria’s book and knows all the stories by heart!”
At be.Living, we respect the children’s previous knowledge, recognizing that each of them is a unique being full of potential. Just as we value Mary’s active role, we recognize the importance of every child in our school, enabling each of them to be the star of their own learning journey!
