For the past 15 years, Miss Delp’s kindergartners and Mrs. Davis’s second graders have gotten together on Friday afternoons for book buddy time. For 20-25 minutes each visit, second graders read their weekly story and a library book or two to their kindergarten friends. Most students are in pairs, but due to classroom size differences, there’s always a group of three here or there. In the fall and spring, these classes go outside to read (and visit a bit, too). During the colder months, the classes take turns hosting each other in their classrooms.
     There’s a bond created between these students that’s genuine. The kindergarteners get so excited when they see their book buddies outside of the weekly visits. For the second graders, who are still pretty young in the whole school building, they get a feel for what it's like to be looked up to and a chance to model behaviors as the older kids.
     Every so often, book buddy time is used for other things, such as the second graders helping finish up a kindergarten project or a special whole group activity, like making leprechaun pudding to share. Even on those days when the younger students aren’t the best listeners or the older students the best readers, there is productivity in having these two age groups connect and work towards a common goal … that of becoming good readers.

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