From Friday, Oct. 31, to Thursday, Nov. 6, Nanette Wolfe’s sociology classes presented “Kiddie Lit” projects. The objective was to find children’s books that reveal social issues and to relate these problems to articles found online.The students were given five minutes each to read their chosen books and discuss the correlating articles, then answered questions from the class about their overarching issue.

“Seeing all the books and having them read to us was entertaining,” senior Kate Tesler said. “I learned that social issues can be displayed to children without scaring them.”

The issues discussed during the presentations included mental disorders, environmental factors, parenting, identity development and more. Tesler chose a book titled “Pigsty,” which is about a boy who refused to clean his room.

“Hygiene and hoarding [were the social issues in my book],” Tesler said. “It’s an issue because some people spend their whole lives living in trash, which can give them diseases and make them antisocial.”

The articles relating to the books not only allowed students to learn about the cause of issues, but also the effect they have on individuals and society. The speeches gave students a new way to learn about social issues and apply them to youth literature as well as events in real life.