Shorecrest Students Pen Children's Book

Shorecrest Prep student Hannah Stein could not believe her eyes. Volunteering with the Pinellas County Head Start program, Hannah saw children so far behind the learning curve that some did not even know to wash their hands.

“Some students couldn’t even go to the bathrooms by themselves,” she said.

So over the summer of 2011 Hannah and her brother Jack Stein decided to help. They wrote a book for children and for adults titled, “It’s More Than Just the Shoes and the Hair.”

“It’s a book focused on children who really have no background of schooling, and underprivileged children,” Hannah said.

Hannah wrote the book while Jack penned the playful and colorful illustrations throughout.

The stories throughout the book come from life experiences Hannah and Jack had with their mom. On each page is a bold phrase or sentence that is meant for the child to read, such as, “Pretend play is a fun activity” and “Know how to stand in line.”

On the side of each page is a more detailed thought that is for the parent/guardian of the child.

“I was volunteering and some five-year-old couldn’t even read one sentence,” Hannah said. “I think it really opened my eyes.”

Hannah, a senior at Shorecrest, said the book is now available at all head start programs and may soon be available at more statewide agencies. The book is also available at many hospitals throughout Florida.

Jack, a junior at Shorecrest, and Hannah self-published the book online at the start of the 2011-2012 school year. Hannah said at this point there are no plans to take the book to a publisher.

“We are trying to keep it relatively low key,” Hannah said. “We are not making any money off it."

So far, Hannah said the response has been great and she hopes to continue having a positive impact for underprivileged children.

“A lot of people are surprised that it was written by me and jack with us being in high school,” Hannah said.