Your favorite monthly virtual program is back…
Oh yes, it’s Read And Write Night!
Kalamazoo County youth in grades K–5 are invited to join RAWK volunteers and volunteers from the Western Michigan University chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association to share our monthly picture book title. Working in small groups, we will read aloud and then respond to the story with using engaging and creative prompts that encourage us to discuss, write, and draw! After small group time, we’ll have a chance to share our responses with the whole group.
Hear a perspective that is new to you, enjoy reading together, express your ideas, and find power in the written word.
All Read and Write Nights will take place via Google Meet.
Each participating family will receive a copy of our monthly book prior to the event
This month’s session is open to 16 families
Registration opens on September 17th
Click here to register
Our October title is Maya and the Beast
written by Maya Gabeira and illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki
Young Maya is shy and often feels fragile and scared because of her asthma—except when she’s in the water. It’s the one place where she feels strong. While everyone else in her town is scared of “the Beast,” the giant wave heard all around the world as it crashes into the shoreline, Maya finds the noise comforting, the curves of the wave soothing. If she could only tame it, then everyone could see all the beauty it has to offer. With a pink surfboard and a determined heart, Maya will be the first girl to meet the Beast head-on.
Professional surfer Maya Gabeira, known for surfing Guinness World Record–breaking big waves, shares her story of resilience, defying expectations of women in sports, and daring to achieve the impossible. Beautifully illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki, Maya and the Beast is an empowering reminder that every fear can be conquered, and every Beast can be tamed.


