Students create books just for these special kids

Smiling, giggling, playing, reading. The 600 children of St. Gabriel's school in Lascahobas, Haiti, are having a great day. They just received a gift of 90 children's books, written, in French, just for them. Books about a dinosaur named Daniel, a princess who dreams of becoming a knight, a puppy who goes on big adventures, and more.

Before their arrival, the St. Gabriel school's library was almost bare.

Children in Haiti often speak Creole at home but are taught French in school and the national exams necessary to advance into higher grades require knowledge of French. But the school children have little access to books written in French, so learning can be difficult.

Jennifer Shotwell is on a mission to change that, one book at a time.

Shotwell, who teaches French at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., challenged her students to write children's stories in French. "In my elementary-level college French class, my students have an opportunity to use the language in a unique way by writing children's books" Shotwell explains. "Though some learners don't think they can produce much with a new language, my students are learning to express themselves and create entertaining stories that we ultimately share with disadvantaged children who are also learning French."

Shotwell, who also used student illustrators, at first didn't have the funding to physically make the books.

In 2014, she shipped the handmade books, which consisted of sheets of paper, to Haiti. But they quickly deteriorated under the many small, eager hands reading the books in school. "Last year our Haitian partner school was thrilled to receive entertaining, colorfully illustrated books for the children to enjoy. However, we were concerned that the books might not last long in paper format," said Shotwell.

This year, Shotwell's goal was to deliver durable, hardcover books to the Haitian children. So she started a Kickstarter campaign. After raising over $2,000, Shotwell used the money to print the children's books with Shutterfly, an online book production tool.

In June, Shotwell and some of her students hand delivered 90 books to a group of smiling faces at St. Gabriel's school. Each class lined up one by one, eager to get their hands on the stories. Children stood by their tables, flipping through the pages and looking at the colorful drawings. Leaning against the walls of the school, uniform-clad students read stories out loud in French.

At the end of the day, a loud and resounding, "Merci Madame Jennifer," could be heard.

If you want more information or to donate to the 2016 Little French Books fund, email littlefrenchbooks@hotmail.com.

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