Read Across America & Take a Wild Ride With a Book

Books are flying off the shelves at Redwood Elementary this week. My speech students are so hungry for books that I’ve created a checkout system in the speech room so they can enjoy my personal collection. Read Across America is having its impact!

Our librarian, Kelly Sutton, has brought readers in from around our school and community to read stories to our students. The kids loved having our secretaries, nurse, and principal read with them and imagine their excitement when a local police officer took a turn in the reader’s chair! One special reader was Kelly’s own father.

The classroom teachers have been busy with Dr. Seuss activities; Lorie Wardlaw’s first grade class mixed up a delicious batch of green eggs and ham.

while Marcia Douglas’s first graders created green smoothies.  

  

I missed the final product but the kids assured me, when this fruit went into the blender and they added kale, they had a lovely green drink. 

Kathleen Murray’s kindergarteners lined our hallway with their Seuss inspired artwork.

   

           

I see future illustrators in this group!

On Wednesday, I had a chance to read to Ms. Kafin’s kindergarteners.

Mrs. Kafin getting into the spirit of things

I found a perfect book for the occasion: Surf’s Up by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Daniel Miyares.

When a book can hold a surfing dude captive and keep him from riding the waves, you know it has power. And that is just what happens in this story. Two frogs named Bro and Dude, head to the beach with a book and board – a surfboard that is. As Bro reads, he can’t contain his excitement, crying “Wowie Kazowie” and “Booyah! They found the whale again.” His enthusiasm pulls Dude right into the story of Moby Dick and they ride this adventure like they ride the ocean waves. The kids were captivated by this riotous adventure and I must admit, I was too.

I hope Read Across America was a success in schools and libraries around our country, and I hope children everywhere experience the wild ride a good book can offer.