Young Writers of the Month: YAP

By Dorothy Price, Director/Young Authors Program

It’s no mistake that change is a verb.  It requires action.  Doing something.  Change, is a Young Authors Program goal.  The YAP is a monthly program that encourages children in grades 1-5 to express their voices through writing. We tackle most genres including: fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction, science fiction, and poetry. The goal? To change the way young people think about reading and writing, by making it fun, one imagination at a time. 

When asked if my YAP students would like to contribute to this month’s Little Pickle Press blog, they jumped at the offer!  Publication, for those in the program who so desire, is also a goal.  With this post, that goal is complete. 

How can one person change the world through writing?  This is how:

Zoe Glover, Rising 3rd Grader, 8 years old

People can change the world by writing a book that teaches others something they don’t know and by inspiring people.

For example, I learned about space because scientists wrote books about black holes and supernovas. And now I know how black holes are made and how supernovas happen. I also read a book about eclipses and because of that book I know how one type of eclipse happens when the moon stops in front of the sun.

Finally, I read a good book that told me how strong the sun is. It is so strong that its gravity can pull all eight planets! I also learned that we can’t survive without our sun and moon because if there would only be a sun, it would be too bright and the days would be too long. If we only had a moon it would be too dark and we would have no heat or solar system.

After reading what scientists have written, I have learned so many cool things about space and I am inspired to be an astronaut so that I can explore space.

                                                  

Sanai Price, Rising 3rd Grader, 7 years old

I can change the world by writing a book about bullying, controlling yourself, and how people should act. People should not bully because if you do, you will make others feel bad and you will have to face some consequences. One thing that is for sure, you may not have any presents for Christmas! 

The first thing you should do if you have a bully is ignore him or her and go somewhere else.  The second thing is to tell the teacher.  If that doesn’t work, then you should tell your parents because they can handle it better than you can. 

A bully will not succeed because he or she will get caught, even when he or she thinks no one is looking because teachers are always on the lookout.  That is why you should treat people the way you want to be treated.  If everyone treated people the way they’re supposed to be treated, there would not be any more bullying.  Everyone will feel better inside and life will be a better place to live.  My book will be called How To Handle Bullying by Sanai Price.

Sometimes the power of one can spark a world of change. 

 To learn more about the Young Authors Program in Charlotte, North Carolina, click here.