What an incredible week it has been at SHSID Hongkou Campus! From October 27th to 31st, the campus was buzzing with creativity, laughter, and a shared love of stories as students across grades embarked on an unforgettable Author’s Week adventure. Each grade dived into the imaginative worlds of beloved authors—Mo Willems, Dav Pilkey, and Roald Dahl—through dress-up days, hands-on activities, and collaborative storytelling. Let’s take a look at how each grade brought these authors to life!

Grade 1: A Whimsical Week with Mo Willems!

One of the most fun events of the year, Author’s Week, was a delight for our first graders as they explored the playful world of Mo Willems! From dress up days to storytelling activities, each day was packed with excitement.

On Monday, a favorite theme among students and teachers, Pajama Day, kicked off Author’s Week, alongside a scavenger hunt to find out facts about Mo Willems. It’s so refreshing to just roll out of bed and not think about what to wear because you’re already wearing it!

Tuesday was Pink or Gray Day in honor of the most popular Mo Willems duo, Piggie and Gerald. In costume, students worked on their own Piggie and Gerald paper bag puppets to read to each other with.

Wacky Tacky Wednesday followed, allowing students to dress in their craziest, most chaotic outfits. Students learned how to analyze character traits based on a character’s appearance and actions.

Students fixed their hair, cleaned their shoes and picked their very best outfits to Dress for Success, Thursday’s theme. Each class also read Knuffle Bunny, a tale of loss and redemption through the eyes of a young girl, her father, and a stuffed rabbit. Student’s reviewed setting and the unique way the setting was shown in this text.

It was a whimsical and memorable week that perfectly captured the joy of Mo Willems’ stories for our first graders! We can’t wait to do it again next year!

Grade 2: Dav Pilkey Ignites Imagination!

This week Dav Pilkey was the Author of choice to inspire the young children of Grade 2 at our SHSID Hongkou Campus. It was 5 days filled with fun, imagination and creativity as our students dove into the Dog Man, Cat Kid and Captain Underpants series. They learnt more about English and the craft of making good characters and stories!

Monday kicked off the week as students came in dressed in their comfiest pajamas to get them in the mood for reading and storytelling. At the same time, students studied some of Dav Pilkey’s iconic characters to learn more about character traits. Afterwards, they used this research to create their own heroes and villains that could engage their readers and that they could build fantastic tales around.

On Tuesday everyone donned their cat ears, dog ears, tails or capes to pay homage to their favorite Dav Pilkey characters. In classes, students took inspiration from Dav Pilkey’s tales of how he began writing comics as a mischievous student to then create their own comics using the characters they had made prior.

Things got a bit Wacky and Tacky on Wednesday when all of our kids mixed and matched their brightest colors and most interesting attire to look as wild and interesting as possible. The curiosity and investigative skills of each student was put to the test as they all became detectives like Dog Man, trying to solve a mystery using context clues and finding the meaning of new and unfamiliar words.

Thursday saw an abundance of Homemade Heroes descending upon the campus. Families found old clothes, sheets and other materials around the house and put them together creatively to forge brand new superheroes. There was also great joy and a sense of warmth as children from different grades and classes came together as Reading Buddies to share their favorite stories with each other.

Grade 3: Exploring the Wacky World of Roald Dahl!

Author’s Week was a huge hit in Grade 3 as students jumped into the wonderfully wacky world of Roald Dahl! The focus was The Twits, and students had a fantastic time meeting the unforgettable Mr. and Mrs. Twit and discovering Dahl’s signature humor and imagination.

Each day brought a new themed dress-up challenge, from favorite storybook characters to animals and, of course, the delightfully dreadful Twits themselves. The classroom was filled with creativity, laughter, and plenty of color as students embraced each theme with enthusiasm.

The week’s highlight was our “Beard of the Twits” activity, where students designed their own scruffy, silly beards using feathers and other fun materials. We also worked together to create an upside-down house—just like in the book—turning our classroom topsy-turvy in the spirit of Dahl’s playful chaos!

By the end of the week, our young readers had not only explored one of Dahl’s most mischievous tales but also celebrated the joy of reading and storytelling in true Roald Dahl fashion.

Cross-Grade Reading Buddy Day: Sharing the Joy of Reading

In addition to the exciting grade-level activities, Thursday's "Reading Buddy" event offered a unique and special experience. Students from different grades paired up in small groups, taking turns reading their favorite pages aloud to one another and sharing the story wonders they had discovered throughout the week. In these moments, reading transcended classroom and grade-level boundaries—not only spreading knowledge and joy through the magic of books, but also beautifully embodying the core spirit of this Author’s Week: "Sharing Stories, Igniting Imagination.”

Book Character Parade: A Whole-School Celebration of Reading

Friday’s Book Character Day brought the week-long celebration to a joyful finale, transforming the entire campus into a living storybook. Students came dressed as their favorite literary characters: Mo Willems’ Piggie and Elephant reenacted their heartwarming dialogues; Captain Underpants and Dog Man from Dav Pilkey’s imaginative world “fought for justice” around the campus; Roald Dahl’s Matilda could be seen quietly reading her book; while the hilarious Mr. and Mrs. Twit drew bursts of laughter with their exaggerated looks.

These lively portrayals not only reflected students’ deep understanding of their chosen stories but also shared the pure joy of reading through creativity and interaction — the perfect ending to a wonderful, inspiring week of literary celebration.

What an inspiring journey through stories and imagination! From the playful pages of Mo Willems, to the comic adventures of Dav Pilkey, and the twisted tales of Roald Dahl, our students explored diverse worlds while building literacy skills and creative confidence. We are so proud of every student—and already looking forward to next year’s Author’s Week!

(Written by Nicholas Di Dolci, Samuel James Alexander, Carla Hay, Nina Kang

Pictures by Rachel Wu

Reviewed by Ms. Zhu Dan, Shiyu Wu, Grace Gilmore)