Cooper Patriots Write Children's Books, Read to Whitt Wolves

Do you know how humans defeated dragons? 

With tacos.

Beef tacos make their tummies grumble, chicken tacos make them feel woozy and spicy tacos make them breathe fire uncontrollably!

Dragons Hate Tacos, according to Noah Kelley, an eighth-grader at Cooper Junior High.

He took the children’s book, Dragons Love Tacos, and put a spin on it, offering a fresh perspective.

“The lesson in my book is to try new things,” Kelley said. “It took me about a week to write it.”

Eighth graders in English Language Arts at CJHS chose a fairy tale or children’s book to rewrite with a twist.

Eighth-grader Melvin Mathew rewrote Green Eggs and Ham and changed the lesson to reflect his own experience.

“My story’s twist is to understand that you won’t like everything you try, and you don’t have to continue doing it,” Mathew said. “It’s okay to quit something to try something else. Kids should learn this lesson. I wish I would have stuck with singing. I had a passion for it.”

Each of the eighth graders made their stories into a book, complete with illustrations. Then they read their books aloud to students at Whitt Elementary.

The eighth graders rotated among different classrooms, including the library, to read their books to students of all different grade levels.

One of the classes the eighth graders visited was Melissa Haynie’s first-grade class.

“I love it so much,” Haynie said. “We've been talking about writing our own stories and for them to see the big kids do it, is so awesome.”

Eighth-grader Amer Naser rewrote Hansel and Gretel from the witch’s point of view.

“My twist is not to invade people's privacy,” Naser said. “I am very familiar with the story and have liked it since I was little.”

Alyssa Prinz is one of several of the eighth graders who attended Whitt when she was in elementary school. 

“This was really cool,” Prinz said. “I like seeing all the things that changed and I like seeing all the teachers doing a great job because all the kids are really respectful.”