If a kid were president of the United States, things would be a lot different.
Kids would have the choice of pop, milk or orange juice with their school lunches.And kids would be treated by grown-ups with respect to help their self-esteem.
These are just a few of the ideas in a new book written by Alison Simon that is hot off the press in Margaret Anderson's sixth-grade class at Sunrise Elementary School in Sandy.
Danny Traugot chose to write about "The Barbie Doll That Took Over the World" and "The Cow That Went Back in Time." In the introduction printed on the book jacket, the young author writes,
"This book contains two unusual stories that don't make sense."In her book, Amy Hansen told the story of a lonely girl who could sit on a magic red chair and have all her wishes come true.
The book project, directed by student teacher Aimee Ferre, taught kids about the realities of the publishing world - layout restrictions, deadlines and editors who cut and reject stories.
To teach the class about publishing, the class chose a name for their publishing company - Anderson/Ferre Class Publishing - and they signed contracts. Stories had to be approved. One student's idea to write a story featuring violence was rejected by an editor because the subject was not appropriate for a second-grade class - the designated reading age group. Students were writers, editors, illustrators and art directors, and they bound their own books.
The entire project took 10 days. Students felt the pressures of meeting deadlines, and some missed their deadlines, said Ferre.
"They were mad at me for being so demanding and reminding them of deadlines, but in the end, they loved seeing their ideas in print."
Unisource, a local company, donated the paper for the books and binding.
The project built self-esteem for kids, said Ferre. "Many students who have had difficulty turning in assignments, pulled through with this project and felt very proud of the results."
To honor the young writers, Ferre and Anderson threw an authors' party. With parents present, 25 students showed off their books. Some parents asked for autographs.
Following the party, the authors read their illustrated stories to a class of second-graders.
"The kids told me they would never throw their books away and that they would keep them forever. Maybe some day we'll be reading novels by students who published their first books in sixth grade," said Ferre.