Rampant Reading

Eight-year-old Armando Alvarenja’s thoughts were apparent as he stared at the green eggs on his plate. No way. I’m not eating those. That’s scary.

But he became curious and tried a tiny bite. Then he smiled and scooped a second mouthful.

“They’re just like regular scrambled eggs--’Sam I am, I like green eggs and ham,’ ” said the giggling third-grader, reciting a line from the well-loved children’s book.

Thousands of students throughout Ventura County on Thursday celebrated the third annual “Read Across America,” a literacy drive marking the 96th birthday of “Green Eggs and Ham” author, the late Dr. Seuss.

Principals dressed as cats in hats, students munched on green eggs and ham, and community leaders read whimsical stories to students. More than 20 million children and adults across the nation participated in the event, aimed at motivating students to read.

The National Education Assn., the nation’s largest teachers union, created the reading campaign in 1998 as an innovative way to battle illiteracy.

Since then, the event has drawn wide support, from politicians to parents to police officers. Locally, city council members, county supervisors, retired teachers, lawyers and merchants visited classrooms throughout Ventura County. Many donated books to campus libraries and handed out bookmarks and stickers to students.

Though educators don’t expect one day of dressing like Dr. Seuss characters and reading books about the Grinch to turn around reading test scores, they hope the activities get students excited about reading. Teachers say they will try anything to lure students away from video games and TV shows and to books.

“The more they read, the better they read,” said Sheila Carlson, principal of Walnut Elementary School in Newbury Park. “And the better they read, the more fun it is.”

So Carlson and dozens of other Ventura County principals jumped at the chance to take part in the celebration. At Ladera Elementary School in Thousand Oaks, students threw a birthday party for Dr. Seuss. At Driffill Elementary School in Oxnard, they ate a feast of green eggs and ham. At Madera Elementary School in Simi Valley, they paraded around the school in colorful costumes.

And at Walnut, they sang a tune in honor of the beloved author, who died in 1991.

“Dr. Seuss we love you. / Dr. Seuss we really do. / With your rhymes so crazy, you are No. 1. / You make us laugh and wonder. / You make reading fun.”

Other schools held pajama days, reading recesses and literacy picnics. At Walnut, students participated in a book exchange, a read-a-thon and a costume contest. They also wrote stories and poems about wacky characters such as Horton the elephant or the Lorax.

Tiffany Bohlke, 11, said she enjoyed reading “The Foot Book” by Seuss.

“He is a really good author,” she said. “And his books are entertaining for all ages.”

Thursday night, the school held a “Cuddle Up with a Good Book” event and invited students to dress in their pajamas and bring a pillow, a parent and a good book.

“I think ‘Read Across America’ is a wonderful program,” said Sue Bartley, whose 5-year-old son, David, attends Walnut. “It encourages parents to read, read, read all the time with their kids.”

Across the county at Juanamaria Elementary School, Ventura Police Officer Jesus Quezada read a story about classroom safety tips to 20 kindergartners. When he finished, one child yelled out, “Read it again!”

Quezada handed each student a gold “junior police officer” sticker and encouraged them to stay safe and to stick with their buddies. At Brekke Elementary School in Oxnard, students lounged on colorful bean bag chairs, some reading silently and others chanting rhymes aloud.

“I like Dr. Seuss’ books,” said Edward Lopez, 8, who wore a striped hat and a bow tie. “He writes funny rhymes and silly stories.”

In the cafeteria, Steven Pierce, a painter for the Oxnard Elementary School District, read aloud several books, while the district’s roofer, Joe Franz, played the guitar. Both men were dressed in cowboy hats, boots and vests. One book told the story of a sheriff who played the harmonica and another was about a cattle rancher named Pecos Bill who was raised by coyotes.

“Inviting people from the community into the classroom is great,” said Brekke second-grade teacher Ana Hunt. “The students get a taste of how other people read--parents, retired teachers, professionals. We should have this more often.”

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POWER OF WORDS

Education writer remembers her time in front of the classroom. B3