“A children’s book can help them through that.” “Even young children go through really tough life experiences,” she says. The psychology major created one book about divorce and another book about a child being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

“What surprised me the most was that no topic was off-limits,” says Rebekah Picerno ’22. The Rollins students later craft the book’s layout in Adobe InDesign and send the final version to be published via Blurb. I didn’t know how compelling they would be.” “I was surprised at the range of unexpected books that came out of it,” says Forsythe. They may build a tower with blocks or a boat with Legos, and then incorporate photographs of them into the text. To bring the plot and characters to life, the young co-authors draw original illustrations-sometimes with a liberal helping of glitter. Letting the child protagonist, not an adult in the story, solve a problem is ideal. He tries to rid students of the notion that the book has to rhyme or teach a lesson. “They all speak different interior languages, and you have to learn the language of the particular child,” he says, noting the unpredictability of the story-development process. Photo by Scott Cook.įorsythe says it’s important to let the children lead, encouraging them while respecting their personal limits. “What do you want to write about?” may result in a blank stare, but targeted questions-like what are your favorite things or what books do you like-can unleash a torrent of answers. Warm-up brainstorming can involve playing on the floor and asking children well-chosen questions. While princesses and sharks figure prominently in the chosen titles, the process is far from child’s play. Then the students take their projects truly to the source by pairing up with 4- and 5-year-olds from Rollins’ Hume House Child Development & Student Research Center to create an illustrated book. He reveals how deceptively simple works are, in fact, aesthetically, artistically, and ethically sophisticated. English professor Matthew Forsythe brings in dozens of books by the bag load, introducing the class to the ways that authors shape a moment of inspiration into a compelling narrative. First, they study fiction and nonfiction classics by the likes of Maurice Sendak, Kevin Henkes, and Faith Ringgold. The goal of this honors-level community engagement (CE) course is to engage students in the fine art of writing children’s books. Matthew Forsythe, assistant professor of English Photo by Scott Cook. The immersive collaboration is a transformative experience for the students and children alike, exploring writing and literature along with psychology and early childhood behavior.

These may not sound like college-level texts, but they’re the result of an intensive Rollins honors course that pairs undergraduates with preschoolers to engage in the process of writing a children’s book.

Time for kids exploring writing