Originally Published as: Max Goes to School: Shield Wall Media’s Mascot Helps Kids Relate to the Trades
Many of you may have seen one of our Max Builds titles at a Shield Wall Media show, or perhaps a colleague has one. There are now two published titles, Max Builds a Metal Roof and Max Builds a Pole Barn, and a third title is currently in production.
The series is the brainchild of Gary Reichert, publisher of Shield Wall. As a long-time industry professional, he wanted to support the trades, and the best way to do that, he thought, was to get kids interested in the trades early.
Gary has a husky named Max that he shares with the team at the office, a gentle soul whose favorite pastime is eating cheese. Kids love dogs, so Gary decided Max would be a great teacher. Max, being as humble as he is, declined the opportunity, so the cartoon version of him was born.
Max was a hit with kids from the start, and Shield Wall has received many requests for the initial title, Max Builds a Metal Roof, and the second book, Max Builds a Pole Barn. A third title is currently in the works.
Educators See Max’s Potential
Last spring, Lisa Smith, Library Director and Dual Enrollment Teacher for the Sandusky Community School District in Sandusky, Michigan, was handed a copy of Max Builds a Pole Barn to add to the school library. Smith reviewed the careers section of the library collection and found that though there were books on many types of careers, there wasn’t much on the skilled trades for the very young students.
Smith said, “After reviewing the book, I immediately knew that this series would be perfect as a starting point for a new elementary program. The colorful images and simple storyline would be perfect for our kindergarten students.”
Smith continued, “I inquired about the possibility of obtaining enough copies of ‘Max’ so that I could send home a copy of the book and a supplemental activity book with each of our kindergarten students. Shield Wall Media LLC generously supported this idea and provided me with additional books for our students. With so many of our students coming from families involved in skilled trades, I knew that these books would be a welcome addition not only to our elementary library, but also utilized by our staff, students and their families.”
Smith decided to develop an activity book to accompany the book, composed of mazes, word finds, matching exercises, coloring pages and more, all embracing the building theme. The book and activity book together made a nice packet for the kids to work on during summer vacation.
Max Teaches as He Entertains
The kindergarten students enjoyed hearing Max’s story and discussing it as a group. They began pointing out the tools Max used and naming them. They got excited when they were told they could take the book home to read with their families.
Many of the children’s families work in the trades, so this is a great tool for parents or grandparents to sit down and talk to their kids about what they do at work. It can also make kids more aware at an early age that there are alternatives to becoming firemen, ballerinas and astronauts.
Everyone involved — students, teachers and parents — agreed this was a good thing. Smith elaborated that it is always a good thing when a student is introduced to something new, and when it comes in the form of a book that can help the student develop reading skills, it is doubly beneficial. Smith was happy to find that the kindergarten teachers in question wanted to repeat the experience with next year’s students.
“The overwhelming joy that this program brought to the students was incredible,” Smith said. “As a school librarian, my passion is to create lifelong readers. The Max series is a tool that will reach so many of our youngest students.”
