Read Across America Day

Allen Elementary celebrates with event last Friday

The Cat in the Hat, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella and even a dinosaur roamed the halls of Allen Elementary School on Friday morning.

The school’s first- and second-grade students celebrated Read Across America Day. March 2 is also the birthday of famous children’s author Theordore Suess Geisel, also known as Dr. Suess.

The event was designed to make reading fun and encourage students to cultivate a lifelong love for books, according to Susan Zimmerman, literacy instructional facilitator. The celebration aligns with the Arkansas Department of Education’s new RISE Arkansas (Reading Initiative for Student Excellence) program, which strives to build a culture of reading, educate parents about the importance of reading, increase accss to books at home and boost professional development for educators, according to the Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading website, www.ar-glr.net.

The school’s halls were decorated in Dr. Suess themes, and students and staff members dressed as their favorite book characters.

First-grade students celebrated with a book circus. Guest readers, including office staff members, high school football players, and Siloam Springs police officers and firefighters, read their favorite books to the young students in a room decorated like a circus tent.

Second-grade students got a chance to sample different kinds of books during a book tasting in a book cafe. They preselected a genre from a book menu, then were presented with a box of books from that genre to sample. After the book tasting, students got to pick a snack and a book of their own.

Janelle Jessen/Herald-Leader Siloam Springs High School football players read their favorite books to a group of first-graders in the reading circus tent. Other guest readers included school office staff, and a Siloam Springs police officer and firefighter.

Photo submitted Second-grade teachers dressed as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Photo submitted Principal Tanya Johnson and one of her students both dressed as Cinderella.

Janelle Jessen/Herald-Leader Second-grade students looked through books during a “book tasting” at the reading cafe. Students had a chance to pick a genre they would like to explore, then received a basket full of books from that genre to read. At the end of their session, each...

Janelle Jessen/Herald-Leader Second-grade students got a chance to try different types of books during a book tasting at book cafe.

Janelle Jessen/Herald-Leader First-grade student Axel Flores and custodian Michael Rowley were both ready to entertain Sally and her brother from Dr. Suess’ famous book, The Cat in the Hat.

Janelle Jessen/Herald-Leader A dinosaur (Assistant Principal Amy Hufford) visited Aaron Kooistra’s second-grade classroom. Hufford was dressed as a character from Jane Yolen’s book, How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?