Read Across America

This year marked our third Read Across America. Again, partnering with NEA, CTA, UTLA and the Los Angeles Times, we expanded the program by implementing a reading incentive program that began on March 2 to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Events took place at all 18 BookPALS branches. Look below to see what your local branch was up to!

Arizona: READ ACROSS AMERICA on March 2 was a big success. Thank you to all you BookPALS who read in your classrooms on that day. BookPALS also took part in some special events. Chuck McGahan, Eleanor Hofmann, and Carmella Jannuzzi took part in Washington School district's big birthday celebration at Christown Mall. Wyatt Earp attended a special celebration at Downs Elementary School. Sam Barcelona read at a family dinner and reading event at Saint Vincent De Paul's dining room. Thank you all for participating.

Las Vegas: A big "thank you" to all those who participated in Read Across America and Nevada Reading Week this year, (February 28-March 3). Thanks to your efforts, BookPALS reached out to approximately 2,000 students who were not familiar with BookPALS previously. I would like to extend a special thanks to the students at Bonanza High School who participated. Twenty-four Bonanza Bengals read at nearby schools, all of which had not participated in BookPALS before: Rose Warren, Guild Gray, O.K. Adcock, Herbert Derfelt, and Doris Hancock. BookPALS would also like to offer a special nod of appreciation to Bonanza High School teacher Marie Prevost for doing all the leg work of coordinating the students.

Students weren't the only ones hitting the pavement for Nevada Reading Week and Read Across America. Jennifer Lamison and Bob Christianson teamed up for very entertaining renditions of The Cat-in-the-Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. Bob and Jennifer stuck it out for two assemblies at Vegas Verdes Elementary. News anchor Tina Elliott and your coordinator read to all 550 students at Twin Lakes Elementary. The primary children heard Horton Hatches an Egg and grades three, four and five got to hear the Dr. Seuss classic, The Lorax. Charles Terry read to children at the Henderson library and Finley Bolton and Jeff Granstrom kept the kids in stitches at North Las Vegas Library. Jenna Logan took on a variety of characters for the kids at Borders in Henderson,and Debbie Hall, Warren Hays and Tony Russel had us covered at Gene Ward Elementary school library throughout the week. Gene Ward has since signed on as a new school.

Los Angeles: March 2 was a busy day for BookPALS in Los Angeles. Many volunteers read aloud to elementary school children as part of the NEA Initiative to read aloud to as many children as possible while celebrating the birthday of Dr. Seuss. reading in their assigned schools as well as volunteering in many of the schools that called the office requesting readers. Certificates were handed out to the students by BookPALS and many of the schools gave our BookPALS certificates in acknowledgement of their time, talent and energy in making sure that children all over L.A. were able to hear stories on what is becoming an annual event of growing proportions. Thanks to all of those who took part.

Philadelphia: March 2nd was a reading success! In addition to some of our regular readers adjusting their schedules to read that day (topped off with their Cat in the Hat hats of course), we had a mini-reading marathon at the Solis-Cohen Elementary School in the Northeast. All the Kindergarten through 3rd grade classrooms which requested a BookPAL for the morning were paid a visit by a Roving Reader. Thanks to all our weekly BookPALS as well as those who read for the day: Alyssa Davidson, John Ostapkovich and Marciarose Shestack. (You can see some of the Dr. Seuss day readers, and their audiences, in the pictures posted on our page.)

Seattle: On March 2nd, Coordinator Heather Parker and another reader went to Martin Luther King School's ice-cream social for kids and their parents. Heather dressed up as The Cat in the Hat, and Kelly also had a funky hat to wear. (Unfortunately, they left the camera in the car!) But, there's nothing like walking into a room as a character and having a child run up and wrap their arms around you! They read Cat in the Hat, and Green Eggs and Ham.

The NEA's Read Across America site includes ideas for celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday, an Essay contest, a Favorite Books Survey, and a place to trade ideas and stories with other Read Across America afficionados. Be sure to check out their list of theTeachers' Top 100 Books For Children.

At the "Read Across America" page on Random House's Seussville site, children can print out their own certificate of participation, their own Cat in the Hat door knob hanger, and a Dr. Seuss read and color word search. They can also search their Seussville catalog for their favorite Dr. Seuss story.

For more information, or to become a BookPAL volunteer, please call or e-mail Ellen Nathan at (323) 546-6709 or click here.