Some young writers in Ridgewood celebrated the publishing of their very own books Thursday.
First graders at PS 71 showed off their creations at a publishing party. It was all part of a collaboration between PS 71 and the Mesa Charter High School in Bushwick.
For the past couple of weeks, an aspiring teacher from Mesa helped the young authors learn about comets, planets and the sun. Then the students, many of whom speak English as a second language, wrote drafts and got feedback until their books were ready to publish - at least on a very small scale.
Aspiring Teacher Catherine Barrera says celebrations like these are good for the students.
“They actually wanted to listen and they wanted to listen more because not [everyone] can write a story about planets,” Barrera said.
“I hope they learn some details about Mars,” said Paulina Milewska, a student at PS 71, when asked what she hoped people learn from her book.
And while they didn't get Pulitzer's, all of the writers did go home with certificates of achievement.