FORT SIMPSON - With a book launch party almost as fancy as any New York gala, the students in Class 6 at Bompas elementary school in Fort Simpson unveiled their literary works to the world.

Friends and family members met at the classroom door on Jan. 17. They were handed programs and ushered to their seats, where they listened to readings of the six books.

Chantal Tonka shares her group's book titled Animal Senses with the crowd at the Class 6 book launch party. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

After the readings, guests were able to take a closer look at the illustrations while munching on light snacks.

The books are the results of a month of work.

Starting from scratch, the 22 students worked in groups to design books to suit a kindergarten audience. All the students had to work from were a general topic, an art medium and their group members, said their teacher, Lea Lamoureux.

"They should really be proud because everyone did a really good job," she said.

With a topic of transportation, and newspapers to make their illustrations from, one group created a story about the difficulties one can encounter while trying to deliver the newspaper.

In the North, transportation can be tricky, said group member Tim Gargan-Lacasse.

"You can get stuck sometimes," he said.

With a goal of including as many modes of transportation as possible, the story starts with a delayed plane. It includes a truck, a dog sled and snowmobiles before the papers arrive safely, said Alex Keefe.

Repetition was a core part of the story created by Reannda Cli and her group.

With the topic of "in the bush," the group started each sentence with those three words and listed the things you can do in the bush. Coming up with activities such as boating, fishing, exploring and berry picking involved some brainstorming sessions, said Cli.

Before making the final copy of the book, the group made a rough draft to ensure everything looked just right. Even with the plan, making the picture out of felt - their assigned art medium - was the longest part of the process, said Cli.

For Sherissa Grossetete, the best part of becoming an author was sharing the experience with her friends.

"I enjoyed spending time with my friends and working together," she said.

Many students really got into the idea of being authors and illustrators and some even volunteered to stay after school to help their group, said Lamoureux.

As part of the project students learned how to work effectively in co-operative working groups. They also had to evaluate their own work and that of others.

As a final touch, the books will be bound.