Fourth-graders make foray into publishing

When it was time to think about restaurants, students eagerly mentioned McDonald's, Burger King, and Taco Bell. "I thought, 'These kids don't get out much,' " laughs Fox. "I explained to them that we're not going to do the fast food. We want to try to find unique places. It was a growing experience for them."

The book is written in a colorful and lively fashion. It includes chapters about nature trails, museums, and the Indian River Lagoon. Chapter titles range from "Fabulous Food Factories" (restaurants) to "Fun for Your Body" (bowling and skating places). Sprinkled throughout are facts about what every Florida kid should know about lightning and rip currents. The 23 illustrations were all drawn by students and the cover art was completed by a second-grader.

For Chris Vernon, it was an opportunity to watch her daughter, Isabelle, handle herself in a public situation. "It was a learning experience through my child's eyes," says Ms. Vernon. "[Fox] worked with them at their level and let them direct the project. Speaking to adults and making her thoughts clear and then being able to translate this back onto paper is a great experience."

Isabelle Vernon said the project was a perfect avenue to express herself. "[Ms. Fox] would let us say silly things and maybe let us put them in the book," says Isabelle, who wrote about the Outback Steakhouse and the Vero Beach bowling alley.

At Vero Beach Book Center, an independent bookstore, the book is not exactly flying off the shelves: 25 copies have been sold so far.

But additional copies are on order. "We have regular inquiries," says associate Cynthia Grabenbauer, who displays the book in the children's section.

In the eyes of the parents and students involved, however, the book is a run-away success.

"We were giggling because we thought it was going to be a basement project where you bind your little papers together and have a little book," says Vernon. "It actually blossomed into a full-blown project."

Fox won't be teaching at Pelican elementary this fall because the school's supplemental federal funding ran out. Instead, she will transfer to another school in Vero Beach. It's a longer commute, but she's looking forward to collaborating with a new group of students.

This time, she says, the project will be a work of fiction.

"I'm a big believer in books," says Fox. "If you want to kick it up a couple of notches, you can get a book published. And that's really exciting. Kids really love the idea of seeing themselves as authors."

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