At a school in West Yorkshire, a group of children are reading about another kind of school, on a rooftop in Patna, India. It’s the story of Munni, who has to stay home and help her family, even though she wants to go to school. When she gets her wish, she’s so thrilled to finally be able to learn how to read that she wants to give the people around her the same chance. So she starts her own school – on, of all places, a nearby rooftop – and starts teaching women and girls from across her community to read too.
“We didn’t tell the children that it was based on a real story until we got to the end,” says Caroline Watkiss, head of the Co-op academy in Beckfield. “Their faces light up when they realise Munni’s a real person, a child just like them. They were absolutely outraged that she wasn’t allowed to go to school. They felt it was very unjust.”
Munni’s Rooftop School is one of the books in the Wonderbooks series, created by Save the Children. Each story is based on the real lives of children who the charity works with around the world, and introduces readers to themes such as diversity, inclusion, resilience, the effects of poverty and climate breakdown. They’re also accompanied by a Grown-Up Guide, which is designed to help parents or carers and their children discuss the issues in the book, as well as activity ideas and a fun facts postcard each month to help inspire conversations about some of the issues raised.
Munni and her friends teaching a community literacy class. Photograph: CJ Clarke/Save the Children
Co-op academy Beckfield is situated in a tightknit community, just outside Leeds and Bradford. It’s a diverse part of Yorkshire, with a mix of ethnicities, and half of the children are eligible for the pupil premium. In an effort to build a more inclusive curriculum, the academy’s trust recently bought 15 sets of Wonderbooks, and added literature from Yasmeen Ismail, Malorie Blackman and Malala Yousafzai. It is also planning lessons around global themes such as equality and diversity, mental health, sustainability, the environment and access to food. “We’re working all the time to build empathy through the books we read and empower children with the knowledge that they can make a difference,” says Watkiss. “Wonderbooks matches very well with what we’re trying to achieve.”
Overall, the response to the Wonderbooks series has been heartwarming so far, says Francesca Fauvet, part of the innovation team at Save the Children. “Parents and teachers are constantly telling us they’re having new and interesting discussions with children after receiving a new book through the post. But the books are also exciting beautiful windows into places many readers won’t have been to before. It’s a great way of acquiring knowledge about the world.”
Creating 12 illustrated stories hasn’t been easy, Fauvet admits. “We hadn’t done anything like this before. We’re not publishers and we don’t write books, so we had a lot of help from illustrators, agents, designers and authors from the industry,” she says. “We were looking for themes that children might be familiar with and curious or concerned about, balanced with age-appropriate messaging. When we’re talking to adults we can talk much more about the serious consequences these children are facing. We had to think very carefully about telling those stories to children in a responsible way.”
In Tynemouth, Lindsay Razaq and her five-year-old daughter have been reading Munni’s Rooftop School too. “We love Wonderbooks, they’re really nice stories and well pitched at the right level,” says Razaq. “My daughter’s Dad’s family are of Pakistani heritage and there are some similarities there in terms of the clothes and bright colours in Munni’s story, which is nice for her to see. But it’s also good for her to have access to stories that are outside her everyday experience. For her to see there’s a wider world out there, and you mustn’t take things like school for granted.”
Lindsay Razaq and her daughter enjoy Munni’s Rooftop School. Photograph: John Owens/Save the Children
Just like Munni, Razaq’s daughter is learning to read too; she says the ending of the story is very inspiring. “It wasn’t fair on the girls because they couldn’t go to school. Munni was inspiring people. She helped them and then they were happy.”
Razaq agrees: “That’s something we talked about while reading the story – the fact that no matter how small you are, you can make a difference.” They’re themes that her daughter’s other favourite books, such as the Little People, Big Dreams series, and Kindness Grows by Britta Teckentrup, pick up on too. “I think it’s really important not to underestimate how much these little people can take on board,” says Razaq. “Sometimes we’re guilty of underestimating them and thinking we can’t possibly talk about something because it’s too complicated, or too serious, or if it might scare them. But actually, provided it’s done in an age-appropriate way, then I think the earlier the better really.”
The money raised from a Wonderbooks subscription funds Save the Children’s work around the world. Actor Joely Richardson, a Save the Children ambassador, saw the practical impact of that support when she visited a family planning programme in Ethiopia with the charity, and, on a separate trip, a refugee camp in Uganda. “With all the conflict in the world I think we all feel overwhelmed and have no idea how to help,” says Richardson. “I joined Save the Children because whatever happens in the world and whichever side you’re on, children are innocent and shouldn’t be involved.”
“What was really special about the Ethiopian trip was seeing young women and girls gathered together having discussions about subjects they’d never talked about before, whether it was periods and access to sanitary napkins, whether it was about not having child brides, or their rights to education,” she says.
Save the Children ambassador Joely Richardson
“Both field trips made me realise that every little bit helps,” she adds. “Talking helps. A bowl of rice helps. And education helps move communities forward. That’s why Munni’s story is so beautiful – the idea that a friend can teach a friend and that it all starts with one person. I love the fact that it’s set on a rooftop. It shows we can gather anywhere to share stories and help each other. And that’s sometimes all we have to do to make a difference.”
Back at Co-op academy Beckfield, Watkiss says her advice to other teachers and parents reading the Wonderbooks series is not to rush through them, but to pause and reflect at various points. And although they’re aimed at children from four to 10 years old, she’s found that children in year 6 really enjoy them too. “Wonderbooks need to be read by every child, they’re really important. The themes and messages lend themselves to a really rich discussion with older children,” she says. “It’s about building humility and understanding of what other people are going through. And finding gratitude that we do have running water, we do have a roof over our heads, clothes to wear and food to eat. Children do need to know that not everybody has access to those things. And these books are a great vehicle for that.”
A wonderfully colourful spread from Munni’s Rooftop School, illustrated by Katie Rewse
Five tips for reading Munni’s Rooftop School with your child
Before you read, look at the cover together. Ask the children: “What do you think this book might be about?”
While you read, start each page by asking: “What can you see?” to give the children space to respond freely. Don’t be afraid to pause or go back to previous pages if they ask to.
After reading, ask the children questions, such as: “Which parts of the story made you happy or sad? Why do you think Munni decided to teach other women to read? What have you learned about life for girls like Munni?”
Think about the other books your children may already have read that touch on some of the same themes in this story. Draw parallels to help them to make the connection.
Ask them to think about examples where they can make a difference to others in their own lives, just as Munni does with her rooftop school.
Introduce your child to the big issues – from climate change to girls’ rights – with a Wonderbooks subscription. Discover more here
