Did you know that Washington, DC is home to a special book publisher that features books written by young, local authors? Shout Mouse Press is a non-profit organization that offers a variety of programs that serve youth with marginalized identities in Washington, DC through writing and publishing programs. In 2017, they published SPEAK! Amaya Finds Her Voice, written by then-high-schoolers, De’Asia Scott, Romel Whitaker, and Ashley Robinson, and illustrated by Carson McNamara.
On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, Turning the Page was able to bring Shout Mouse Press author Andy Pina and Programs Director Alexa Patrick to Nalle Elementary School to present SPEAK! and talk with students and their families about writing. In the weeks leading up to the event, Turning the Page distributed new copies of SPEAK! to the core teaching team at Nalle to share with their classes. On Wednesday afternoon, students, families, school staff, and Turning the Page gathered in the school library to listen to a read-aloud of the book and hear from young author, Andy Pina.
Pina started the session by telling the audience about his own book published through Shout Mouse Press, Jasmín Pictures Home / Jasmín ilustra su hogar about the immigrant experience in the United States.
Patrick then began the reading, with kids and families following along with their own copies. SPEAK! is about a young girl, Amaya, who is afraid to speak in class. Amaya recently moved to a new school and speaks with a stutter, which makes her nervous to participate. With the help of her dog and new friend, Amaya finds the courage to speak.
During the reading, Patrick asked the audience comprehension questions, vocabulary questions, and questions to spark their imaginations. This mirrors the questions that families can ask their own children during read-aloud sessions in order to make the most of their reading time.
At the end of the reading, Patrick asked the students, “what do you think was the message of the book?” The students said they saw themes like:
- “Face your fears.”
- “Be brave.”
- “Don’t hide.”
- “Doing things even though you’re scared.”
- “Doing things without fear of what others think.”
The session ended with students and parents asking Pina and Patrick about the process of writing and publishing. He told the audience that the hardest part about writing the book was figuring out the topic. Pina and his co-authors had many ideas at first, and had to narrow down their subject. Pina then finished the session with a final piece of advice to young writers: be sure of what you want to write about. Having a strong topic will make the process easier and more meaningful.
This successful author visit was the second in-person author event for Turning the Page since the start of the pandemic. Turning the Page is so excited to continue building on these events, bringing more enriching programs to our families this year.