CANTON — At an age when many kids are just beginning to grasp reading, 8-year-old Jonah S. Lytle already has a book under his belt.
That is, one he wrote himself.
On Saturday, the Heritage Christian School second-grader will sign copies of his first book, “The Battle is the Lord’s: The Dream of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” from noon to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Berean Christian Books at 1100 30th St. NW in Canton.
Jonah and his brother, Jordan Harris, 13, both of Plain Township, combined their saved allowances to produce 75 copies to raise relief funds for Japan.
Jonah said the idea for the book came as a result of a class study on King and conversations with his grandmother, Elaine Randle.
A GOOD MAN
“It was a school project, and then we remembered about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, so we decided to make a book,” he said.
Jonah said he chose King “because he’s a good man.”
He added that he learned about missions at his church, Valley Chapel Church in Canton Township. In 2008, the church hosted a Japanese student during the Christmas break.
An amused Randle said the boys haven’t yet felt the impact of spending their allowance, “but I want them to know you do have to make sacrifices.”
“I’m proud of them,” said their mother, Starla Harris. “They came up with the idea on their own.”
“He has a big heart,” said Jonah’s teacher, Heidi Graybeal. “His desire is always to do what’s right. He’s kinda got that ornery, all-boy thing about him too, which is a good mix. He’s a good student, and very athletic.”
EXCITED
Graybeal said she knew Jonah was interested in King.
“We had a really great discussion in the classroom and he was so excited and interested in learning more,” she said. “He asked me, ‘Could I write my own book?’ I said ‘Sure.’ So, he got out his notebook and started taking notes. I wasn’t sure really what he was going to do with it.”
“The hardest part was the typing,” Jonah said. “I kept forgetting to make caps on the letters.”
The books are $2. All of the proceeds will be distributed through “Samaritan’s Purse,” an international relief organization.
“We chose Samaritan’s Purse because it’s a Christian organization,” Jordan said.
“It’s amazing,” Graybeal said. “It’s adorable.”
Jordan Harris
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