Book Nook: School Can Be Cool

Approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development as a recommended reader for primary school aged children, ‘School Can Be Cool’ is the book author Maleka Mamuji would have loved to read when she was her readers’ age.

Based on Mamuji’s own experiences moving from Kenya to the UK, ‘School Can Be Cool’ presents five stories to help children understand their emotions and adapt to different events in their own lives. From first day jitters of starting school, not fitting in, self-esteem, not being good at certain subjects and cultural diversity being a central theme; the book runs the gamut, offering a vital resource for teachers, parents and children.

School can be Cool provides five short but inspirational stories from different students' experiences. It shows the various challenges they face at school and how they overcome them. The main characters in the book are as follows:
• Rashida who has moved from Kenya to Manchester (UK) and is nervous of starting a new school in a different country;
• Jodie who wishes she could be like her best friend Gretchen as Gretchen is popular in school;
• Tom who always comes last in sports and wishes he could miss school on Tuesdays and Thursdays just so he can avoid doing sports;
•Milly, Peter and Leah are all very different from each other. They never talk to each other and do not even want to. They are teamed up by their Drama teacher Mrs. Clark to produce a play. How will they get along? and
• Gemma who was led to believe that Friday the 13th is the day of bad luck; but Gemma's luck proves different.

I had a chance to interview the author to learn more,

Why did you write this book

School for me was a memorable experience; fun but tough at times. School is one of the most important times in life and in many ways, it shapes our thinking and our way of dealing with situations as an adult. I wrote ‘School can be Cool’ as a way of sharing my knowledge and experience of school and to teach practical life skills to children.

Why is it important for kids to have books that address topics like not fitting in?

I think it is important to have a book like School can be Cool as it deals with the everyday challenges that children face in school regardless of country they live in, race or religion most children will at some point of their live experience feeling left out, not being good at certain subjects, feeling the first day jitters of school. 

The book allows the child to relate their own experience of school to the characters in the book. School can be Cool aims to provide inspirational stories for children to help them get through the difficulties they face in school. 

For example there is a story in the book about Jodie who wishes she could be like her best friend Gretchen as Gretchen is confident and popular in school. However Gretchen wishes she could be Jodie as she is good at Maths. The moral of the story is to appreciate the qualities that you have as people are good at different things.

How can parents use books to help their children feel more confident about their school experiences if they don't "fit in," or to encourage them to make sure others do feel included?

Reading inspirational stories about school experiences like the first day jitters, feeling left out or not being good at certain subjects can help your child understand it is normal and that other children also experience the same things. It can also help them to discuss their experiences and issues openly.

How can parents help their children to celebrate diversity?

By reading inspirational stories like School can be Cool and teaching children out cultural diversity and equality.

In respect to my adaptation to a new school in a different country I found that fellow classmates were quite inquisitive of my background and where I was from. I was asked all sorts of questions, such as “did I live on a tree in Kenya?” Which made me laugh and also surprised me, but these were common perceptions that some of the children had of Kenya and they were only asking because they wanted to learn as it was something different to what they were used to.

It is important for children to appreciate and learn about cultural diversity and equality from a young age. With ‘School can be Cool’, I have students and teachers from different cultures and backgrounds and I have tried to tackle some of the misconceptions people have about other cultures in the stories 

The book is currently