Big monsters, bigger readers: Reading buddies inspire King City second graders

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- In an effort to support and encourage reading, King City second graders were tasked with drawing their own unique "reading monsters," and one staff member took the drawings to the next level.

King City R-1 high school counselor Erin Hunter has supported and encouraged the second graders for a few years now, turning a drawing into something unique and memorable.

Each "reading monster" drawing in the hallways gave Hunter the idea to make the 2D artwork come to life.

Hunter got to work crafting each unique reading buddy for every student to take home—and hopefully make reading a little more fun and exciting.

“It's a reading incentive program so the students design their own monsters and based upon that the idea is they are teaching their monsters to read,” she said.  

The program encourages reading fluency and reading aloud, which helps students become stronger and more proficient readers in the long run.

The program has been around since 2020, shortly after COVID. 

Students earn points for good behavior, taking quizzes, being good friends, completing their homework and other positive actions. They can then use those points to purchase items outside the classroom.  

“I decided I would start making monsters and bring their monsters to life, so I took some pictures and asked a few questions to get some clarifications,” Hunter said.  

She was able to build all 12 monsters in about three to four weeks. 

Students are allowed to take the monsters home, encouraging them to read at home and giving them something to enjoy during playtime. 

Hunter wanted each child to have their own monster to make them feel a little extra special. 

Brynleigh Ross, a second grader, named her monster Herby. She said Herby loves to read and enjoys eating cookies with her.  

“(He) Also loves to sit on my bed because he thinks it's so comfy. I feed him cookies because he likes to eat them a lot and we read Charlotte’s Web every night,” she added.  

Ross said Herby sometimes eats too many cookies, which has resulted in her having to put him in time out. 

Josie Webb, another second grader, named her monster Blueberry because he loves eating blueberries with her.  

“I sleep with him, and sometimes he hides my Xbox controller from me. I have put him in monster time out, and he bites me because he gets grumpy,” Webb said.  

Webb described Blueberry as someone who isn’t a morning person and doesn’t like going to school in the morning. 

Harlen Maudlin named her monster Sunshine because she thinks her monster is cute and is always kind to her.  

“I like to cuddle her at night, and I like to play with her, and I play hide and seek with her too,” she said.  

Maudlin explained that if Sunshine ever gets naughty, she puts her to bed and makes her stay there. 

Hunter said the students were excited and surprised by their monsters, and she loved the process of bringing them to life just as much as they did. 

She admitted it was her first time creating the monsters, but because the students — and Hunter herself — enjoyed the experience so much, they may consider continuing the project in the future, depending on how complicated the monsters are to make.