Students Craft Inclusive Children’s Books in Spanish

With first-grade students from Saint Anne School listening attentively, Crossroads sophomore Grace Cortese read aloud a children’s book about a horse who is a different color than the others.

 

While on an adventure to find a wizard to have his color changed, the story goes, the horse meets friends who teach him that it’s good to be unique and that everyone’s differences make the world special.

 

The book, entitled “Nací Así” (“Born This Way”), is in Spanish. And it was written by Grace.

 

Grace and her classmates in Spanish 3 Honors at Crossroads recently visited the local K-8 school on Colorado Avenue to share the children’s books they had written in Spanish.

 

“It was so special to read our books to the younger students because it helped foster the connection that we share through Crossroads,” Grace says.

 

For the project, which was completed in Upper School teacher Silvia Salazar’s class, the Crossroads students were asked to write and illustrate stories relating to social justice, diversity, equity or inclusion.

 

“Many of the books had to do with accepting and valuing our differences,” Silvia says.

 

In April, Silvia’s students read their books to Crossroads’ third-graders at the Elementary School. And their reading audience only grew from there.

 

Grace, who regularly volunteers with children, has worked with Saint Anne School throughout her youth. She reached out to the school and helped coordinate a read-aloud session for its students, many of whom are native Spanish speakers.

 

The resulting event deepened Crossroads’ ongoing partnership with Saint Anne. Crossroads provides the Title I school with weekly science and music instruction as well as after-school student mentorship, thanks to the Crossroads Community Outreach Foundation.

 

“We are grateful to have an amazing school like Crossroads as our neighbor and partner in education,” says Jessica Cuellar, Saint Anne School’s executive assistant of marketing and development. “This latest connection with the Spanish 3 Honors class has further impressed upon our students the heights they can reach if they set their minds to it.”

 

The Crossroads readers shared their original work in small groups, developing their leadership skills and practicing their Spanish while creating fun experiences for themselves and others.

 

Inspired by their recent visitors, Saint Anne students have begun crafting stories of their own.

 

“It’s important to interact with children in the community for so many reasons,” Grace says. “Reading at Saint Anne was amazing.”