By Jonah Larson with Jennifer Larson
Jonah has a special story. The extra side bar conversations between Jonah and his mother are very revealing and dear. He was born in Ethiopia, brought to an orphanage, adopted by American parents and raised in Wisconsin. He was reading by age three and upon entering school he was bored and acted out in his classrooms. He says, “I didn’t want to act up, but I did.” Things got worse and then got better when his aunt dropped off some craft supplies. He saw a shiny hook, searched on the internet, became a self taught crocheter and then started selling things at a county fair. He figured out that he wasn’t jumpy when he was working with his hands and crocheting and that his mind was quiet. He decided to see if this would work in the classroom to keep him calm and focused. It did!
Jonah’s story has everything and is an important one to share as a read aloud with elementary age children whether in the classroom or at home.