Spreading the Message

I had the opportunity to read the books “We Are All Wonders” and “My Name Is Not Isabella” to a Kindergarten class a few days ago, and it was such an enriching experience not only for the kids, but for me. I began by asking them if they had seen the movie Wonder, and to my happy surprise, most of them had, and the resounding review was that they loved it and loved Auggie!! This made my heart happy because I knew already they were open to accepting others despite differences, and my books could really hit that message home. 

I read both books to the interested faces and was happy to hear they all loved them and wanted to read them again immediately. I was able to make that request possible by donating the books to their teacher for them to read over and over again! We got together for this adorable group picture, and they all wanted to hold the book, but with the help of their teacher, we choose some kids we felt needed to feel special and deserved to have the “honor” of holding their new favorite books. After our picture they all rushed in for a group hug (almost tackling me to the ground in the process; who knew they were so strong?), and unfortunately, we did not get a picture of our epic group hug, but trust me, it was just as cute as it sounds! 

In the process of saying goodbye, they BEGGED me to stay for their Easter egg hunt and demanded their teacher give me candy eggs when I told them the bad news that I couldn’t stay. 

Overall, these kids made my heart grow three sizes with their warm welcome of both me and my message and I truly believe they took the books to heart. I am excited to see a generation without stereotypes!