Jacksonville middle schoolers author books about bullying and other childhood issues

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Each word read at George Washington Carver Elementary on Tuesday was special.

They’re part of books written and illustrated by students at Kirby-Smith Middle School. Jayla Royal titled her book, "Dance Like No One’s Watching."

“The story is -- don't be jealous of your friends. Don’t let opportunities ruin friendship,” she explained.

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The young authors are part of the Rising Readers program, created by Kirby-Smith creative writing teacher Kifimbo Parnell.

“I find it weird that these kids are just that, you know, intuitive about the world they live in and are willing to put their literary stamp on conveying messages to the public,” Parnell said.

Each and every one includes a City of Jacksonville theme and some kind of pressing issue that kids in this generation are dealing with right now. Leading the list: bullying, self-confidence, acceptance -- even dealing with strangers.

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The little ones at Carver listened, asked the older students questions, put on costumes and overall seemed to appreciate the message.

“I think it was a good story about learning to discover your own opinion,” second grader Christopher Martin said.

Parnell tells Action News Jax she plans on expanding the program if she can and addressing sensitive subjects head on.

Cox Media Group