Love in Stories The growth of life is always a process of loving and being loved.

In the magical journey of “The Kingdom of Wesley,” we learned to hold onto our dreams and not to follow the crowd. In the warm story of “Miss Rumphius,” we learned to adorn the world with love, making it more colourful and vibrant. Even when we occasionally linger in the gloom of the notion, “Nobody Likes Me,” we can bravely extend a hand of friendship, discovering that we are indeed surrounded by love and care. Alternatively, we can use the sweetness of “Enemy Pie” to resolve misunderstandings and make new friends. Along with a bowl of “Pumpkin Soup,” made with everyone’s joint effort, and the warm promise of “I Will Love You Forever,” we learned to embrace the ups and downs of life.

“Reading picture books is not just reading; it is a life education,” Ms. Shuping always says in her heartwarming manner.

Whenever we open a picture book, there seems to be endless depth behind those simple stories. As children read these words, can they also feel those gentle and silent voices hidden within the illustrations?

With their creative stories, storytellers lead children through jungles, across springs, witness the blossoming of flowers, and learn how tiny droplets turn into swirling snowflakes. In this wonderful world, every small form of life appears so great. Accompanied by stories, children grow together with the protagonists, becoming braver, stronger, more creative, more understanding of others, and better at cooperating with friends. Their incremental efforts make the world more beautiful.

For children of different age groups, our storytelling team carefully selects appropriate book lists. Storytime every Friday afternoon is a precious moment for children to explore themselves and the unknown world. Story moms and dads are always amazed by the unique perspectives of children and touched by their pure kindness. These are qualities and emotions worth cherishing. We continuously nurture and water them with stories, believing that one day, they will transform into endless energy on the children’s path of growth.

From Grade 1 to Grade 3, during the early years of school life, our storytelling team is always there for the children. We love being affectionately called “Story Mom” and “Story Dad” by students, as it represents a deep trust. To live up to this trust, the moms and dads sacrifice their own time, carefully preparing lessons, rehearsing, and having group discussions, all to ensure that each storytelling session is filled with fun and knowledge.

27 December was a particularly heart-warming day. Under the brilliant winter sun, we held this year’s storytelling team’s New Year appreciation event. With the meticulous planning of school leaders and grade group leaders, the care group members prepared a variety of displays and game sessions. The ice-breaking activities warmed up the atmosphere and helped new and old members get to know each other better. The “If I Were a Primary Student” game transformed the story moms into children in order to experience their encounters. Stories performed in various dialects showcased the artistic charm of language through laughter. The dragon dance performance by the dads brought the event to a joyful climax.

As an innovation, the Grade 3 moms introduced the “Children’s Voices” segment. They collected the children’s feelings and thoughts about the storytelling sessions and recorded them, turning the storytelling classroom into a truly interactive platform. The children’s affirmation gave us strength, and their novel ideas inspired us to continually improve.

The Grade 3 Story Moms, who have served the storytelling team for two and a half years, are also honourably retiring. During this time, they have narrated nearly thirty picture books for the children, designed various experiential games, and accumulated valuable experience and improvement measures through multiple classroom practices. Even in retirement, they will continue to shine as library volunteers, as the spirit of the story moms will never retire.

The torch of love will be passed on to the Grade 1 and 2 story moms and dads, ensuring that the love for reading continues to be passed down in the SUIS Qingpu Campus.

The growth of life is always a process of loving and being loved. In this process, we learn to give and to receive. May every child’s heart be filled with love and may their path of growth be filled with sunshine and warmth.