Watch out! The Pequenakonck Elementary School hallway is full of taco-loving dragons, bus-driving pigeons, and pajama-wearing llamas telling their tales to students as they pass.

Kindergarten students filled shoe boxes with cotton-ball snow, crushed pasta beaches, and popsicle stick Truffula trees to tell their favorite stories. Other students created board games, posters, or videos to persuade others to read their books.

“We wanted them to be creative and present their project in any way they wanted, to share their favorite books and their opinions about why they liked them,” said kindergarten teacher Rebecca Donofrio. In class, kindergarteners learned to identify story elements, characters, settings, problems, and solutions, before recreating the stories. “This beloved annual project is a culmination of our Power to Persuade unit for English Language Arts.”

Zoey recreated the illustrations of “Clifford, the Big Red Dog” by Norman Bridwell by posing for photographs with her dog Boomer. Getting him to cooperate was sometimes tricky, but a few dog treats convinced Boomer to help.

“I like this book because it reminds me of the bird nest that was under my window. I got to see three birds hatch,” said Remy about “Are You My Mother” by PD Eastman.

Ava hopes that she’ll be able to catch a unicorn after picking up tips from “How to Catch a Unicorn” by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton. 

“The pigeon sounds like me at bedtime,” said Gregory, who sewed a pigeon and a tiny stuffed bunny to illustrate “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late” by Mo Willems.

Older students browsing the displays didn’t need convincing; many were excited to see the kindergarten class still loved their favorite characters.

In addition to being fun, the project is in keeping with the district’s emphasis on critical and creative problem solving.