Addy Dow, 8, and Anna Mercier, 10, are the first students in Maine to publish through the nonprofit publishing company Leap for Literacy.
ENFIELD, Maine — Two Enfield Station Elementary School students are now published writers after their work was selected for publication through Leap for literacy.
Addy Dow, 8, and Anna Mercier, 10, are the first students in Maine to become published authors through this nonprofit publishing company.
Leap for Literacy supports educators and students through its Share Your Story program. The program provides a step-by-step guide to teaching young children how to become published writers.
Desiree Lindsay is a literacy teacher at a West Enfield primary school. She said she first learned about Leap for Literacy and the Share Your Story program when she attended a writing conference in Chicago.
Lindsay participated in the program last year and two of the students became published authors.
The show allowed Dow to bring characters to life, such as Lazy Gary in his book “The Lazy Snail,” teaching readers how to embrace change and the importance of trying new things.
In the book, the lazy snail named Gary overcomes his aversion to going outdoors and his friends introduce him to fun activities he can enjoy while being active outdoors.
By overcoming his distaste for the outdoors, Lazy Gary was also able to become healthier and lose weight, Dow said, explaining that he was getting fatter from sitting on the couch all day.
“When you change, it’s good for you because you can explore new things,” Dow said.
While Dow’s book teaches change, Mercier’s book shows readers the magic of kindness, which is also the title of his book.
Mercier’s story shows his understanding of how important it is to communicate emotions, even at such a young age.
“The Magic of Kindness” tells the story of a lonely sorcerer who wants friends but doesn’t know how to make them.
At the beginning of the book, the sorcerer sees two boy friends playing and having fun together, and becomes jealous. Instead of trying to befriend the children, he comes up with the idea of poisoning them with a potion and he goes on a long escapade to collect their ingredients.
After collecting all his ingredients and preparing the potion, the sorcerer approaches the children. But just before one of the characters is about to drink the potions, the sorcerer realizes that he is lonely and that he doesn’t really want to hurt anyone.
Then he speaks, being honest with the children, and asks for their forgiveness. Later they all become friends.
Throughout his journey, the sorcerer learns that you must first be a friend and have good intentions to make friends.
“At my age, a lot of kids are mean to each other and left out because they’re lonely,” Mercier said. “And children are shy. That’s why they don’t talk and they want friends.”
Mercier recalled a time when she was shy and felt excluded from her group of friends. When she spoke up and communicated how she felt, she was able to be vulnerable and build a friendship that, she said, is still strong today.
The young writer challenges other children to do the same and treat others with grace, respect, love and kindness.
“Kindness is contagious and you can do a lot with it,” Mercier said.
The student’s literacy teacher, Lindsay, said both Dow and Mercier inspire other children to bring their ideas to life.
“You can be the next person to put the next book in the library,” Lindsay said.
Dow and Mercier’s books are available for purchase on Amazon. TO buy “The Lazy Snail”, click here. TO buy “The Magic of Kindness”, click here.
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