Guest Reader

Yesterday, in honor of Dr. Seuss, community members poured into our building to read to classroom children. I always look forward to this celebration of books and reading. Although the kids and I enjoy stories, books, and authors daily, having someone else come in to read is like having someone else cook dinner, it tastes better.
Francie joined our class yesterday. Francie works for our local Y and I have known her for years. She is passionate about everything she tackles and she put her all into her time with the kids. She read two books, one was by a famous children's author  about the arrival of spring and the behavior of animals. As she read she explained why she loved the book...its illustrations, its message, the author's work. The kids were motionless as they drank her Kool-Aid. Then she shared that she is a mom of three. She loves her kids dearly but sometimes she just needs a few minutes of quiet time. She pulled out a book about a mom elephant that just wanted five minutes of peace. The kids were hooked. The made predictions, as she read, anticipating what was next and then celebrating when they were right. As I sat on the floor in the back, I got to be a child, for a few minutes, drinking the Kool-Aid of books, stories, and reading. It felt good.