Cooper Junior High Students Inspire Young Readers Through Annual Book Project

Eighth-grade students from Cooper Junior High brought stories to life during a heartwarming visit to elementary schools for the annual Children's Book Project. They read original self-authored and illustrated children’s books to Tibbals, Whitt, and Groves elementary schools.

The project challenged the Cooper Patriots to reimagine classic fairy tales with a creative twist, combining storytelling, illustration, and presentation skills. Once completed, students traveled to the elementary schools to share their imaginative books with young listeners. For many students, this was also an opportunity to reconnect with their former teachers.

Eighth-grader Katie Reske had the chance to read her book in the classrooms of two of her former Tibbals teachers, Amber Boley and Debbie Hazelwood.

“Seeing old teachers is probably the best part about this,” Reske said.

Reske read her book, “There’s Absolutely Positively No Monster at the End of This Book,” which playfully reimagines a Sesame Street story featuring Grover.

“The kids enjoy listening to my book,” Reske explained. “They laughed and thought it was creative.” 

Kimberly Waskom, an eighth-grade teacher at CJHS, was among the teachers whose students participated in the event.

 
“This project engages students who don’t normally get excited and is also a confidence booster because the students work so hard on each part of the project that they feel proud by the time they get to their end results,” Waskom said. “Often, they are surprised by their capabilities. It’s watching self-efficacy build right before my eyes.”

The Patriot authors were enthusiastically welcomed by the elementary students, who listened intently and asked questions. The event allowed junior high students to practice public speaking, writing skills and creativity.

Eighth-grader Muhammad Khan shared a story of imagination with his original book, “Dari Tree.” His book is about a boy who loses his favorite toy and book to a monster living in a tree, but ultimately finds a happy ending.

“My favorite part is how the kids laugh and react to the story,” Khan said.

After an exciting day of reading to the elementary kids came to a close, Waskom surveyed her students to find out their overall feedback on the project.

“The students started off overwhelmed by the expectations, but slowly over time, I watched them get excited and start having purposeful talks about their stories and asking each other for advice and feedback,” Waskom said.

The Children’s Book Project continues to be a beloved tradition within Wylie ISD, fostering connections and reminding everyone of the community that makes Wylie ISD special.