Building Books, Building Confidence

The Junior School’s Book Building Club is a lively blend of imagination, creativity and hands-on craftsmanship. Open to Grade 2 and 3 students, the club brought together a group of enthusiastic young authors who gathered each week to dream up stories, sketch illustrations and learn what it takes to bring a book from idea to finished product.

“Students shared about the book genres that they were most interested in writing, and then related books were borrowed from the library to serve as ‘mentor texts’,” explained Heather Goode, Grade 1 teacher who also leads the club. “Many students read and engaged with these stories before and while creating their books. Some students were more inspired by these books, while others came to the club with different ideas that they wanted to use for their stories.”

Across the room, students moved between planning sheets, rough drafts, and colourful illustrations. Some worked panel-by-panel on graphic novel layouts, while others focused on full-sentence storytelling or more picture-heavy narratives. The club encouraged each child to choose the format that best fit their voice and imagination.

As projects neared completion, the focus shifted from drafting to production. Students were able to choose from some basic bookbinding techniques, added final illustrations, and designed their own covers. A few even created “About the Author” pages, proudly featuring themselves.

“That final publishing stage is so exciting,” Goode said. “They start to see their ideas become real books.”

With pages being trimmed, covers decorated, and ideas shared back and forth, the Book Building Club has become a joyful hub where students can see themselves as storytellers and creators. The finished books — complete with ring bindings, bold illustrations and thoughtful text — celebrate both the diversity of the students’ ideas and the confidence they have gained along the way.