Co-Op, Manchester Early Childhood Center, and Luther C. Klager unite under One School, One Book!

First-grade students relax and enjoy a good book together, reading Who Needs Friends?, thanks to generous grant funding from Worth Repeating. Photo courtesy of Melissa Yekulis.

submitted by Melissa Yekulis

This week every child in the building of Luther C. Klager Elementary received a special treat. Thanks to the generous grant funding provided by Worth Repeating, everyone received a hard copy of the book Who Needs Friends? The story, written by Jia Liu, follows an owl, Merlin, and his quest to learn how to make friends. The new staff members in the building were invited to read pages of the book to create a video of the story for all children and families to enjoy.

This year’s One School, One Book initiative aligns with the district-wide goals for Manchester, which focus on the importance of developing social and emotional skills. The book initiative also helps students develop conversation around text, which is a state standard in literacy. As all students have the same book, all students can have age-appropriate conversations about the experience of Merlin as he tries to make friends and personally connect to times when they also had trouble making friends with others.

First-grade children were enthusiastic to share their opinions about the book. One student shared, “It’s a really good book. There are birds in it.” Another observed, “I like the way the pages turn.” One friend noticed, “I like how he says how to help your friend on the back.” Another student said, “I like that when he’s yelling there’s big words.” 

Great conversations have already begun!

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.