One School, One Book

More than 300 students, staff members and teachers at Nodaway Valley Elementary School embarked on a reading challenge last Wednesday that will carry them through much of the remainder of the school year.

The initiative, called “One School, One Book,” has the school community reading “A Boy Called Bat” by Elana K. Arnold together through May 18.

An all-school assembly was held last week, and each family group in the school received a copy of the book. The project was supported by Greenfield United Methodist Church and its goal of sharing God’s love by building healthy communities.

The church originally had a goal of buying each student in the school a book from a recent book fair.

“There are grant programs available through One School, One Book, and I have always thought that would be a neat project,” school librarian Katie Geidel said. “I thought this would be a good way to get a good, high-quality novel in their house and build that community with their family, and it all fell together as a good, relaxed tie-in to this last month of school, where we’re still talking about books, literacy and doing things together at home.”

“A Boy Called Bat” tells the story of Bixby Alexander Tam, a boy on the autism spectrum who loves animals and is sensitive to loud noises. The story follows him as he forms a strong bond with a baby skunk that his mother, a veterinarian, brings home from work. He convinces his family to keep it as a pet. The book explores themes of friendship, family and understanding others, with humor and heart.

Pastor Melinda Stonebraker said the project became a meaningful way for the church to partner with the school and get another book into the hands of families.

“When the kids get to pick out their own book at the book fair, there are positives to that. But there is also something important to be said about building a community,” Stonebraker said. “With all of the families having access to the same book, reading it and all the things going on with the school, it builds their self-interest and also their interest for the community wide.”

Stonebraker said reading and staying connected to others are both important parts of building healthy communities. She hopes the May reading challenge will help families build a habit of reading together that continues into the summer. There will be audiobook options where students can listen to school staff reading chapters from the book. Trivia and prizes will also be included in the journey over the next couple of weeks.

“Because it’s a book told from Bat’s perspective, I think that also helps the students maybe see things from someone else’s perspective, but it’s done in a way that’s very entertaining,” she said.

Wendell Zimmerman, who has been a volunteer reader at the elementary school for many years, was also on hand for the kickoff. He was another person instrumental in starting the One School, One Book project. He said it has been inspiring to watch students grow in their ability to read over the years.

Nodaway Valley seniors Caroline Britten, Lea Stonebraker and Ty Strode attended the assembly and read the first three chapters of the book to the entire school, which left an impact, even on them.

“I liked reading to the elementary kids because they were genuinely excited about their new books,” Strode said. “Their reactions made it more fun and not just another assignment. It felt good seeing the students enjoy reading.”