A regal ride into reading

Mike Sciacca

The look on Troy Porretta’s face said that Christmas had come early.

The kindergartener at Harbour View Elementary School was clutching

gifts that he never expected to receive. No, he thought the special

adventure that he and his fellow kindergarten mates were attending was in

regard to learning about reading.

He was right, but the surprise special gifts made the day all the more

meaningful.

“That was super fun,” he kept saying. “I don’t know how to read yet

but my mom will read me this book.”

What the excited child was carrying back to class was a book entitled,

“Tigger’s Family Tree,” and a square piece of carpet, the parting gifts

for some very excited youngsters who sat through the hourlong, Carpet One

Magic Carpet Time Tour’s Around the World in a Day Literacy Program.

The presentation was created with the help of reading specialists to

inspire a love of reading to elementary school students. It featured

storytelling, live theater and humor.

Keeping the children both entertained and informed of important

aspects of growing up were Al, the daydreamer, the all-knowing Genie, and

B.B., the librarian.

“We’re two months into the program, which is an eight month tour, and

the kids everywhere seem to love it,” said Chrystal Sturtevant, who

portrayed B.B. the Librarian and is a theater major at Salem State

University in Massachusetts.

Teachers just stood back and watched the young faces light up. “They

seemed to enjoy themselves and I think that a lot of that had to do with

the fact that it was a hands-on experience for them,” said Harbour View

kindergarten teacher Christy Orcholski who helped bring the Magic Carpet

Time Tour to the school.

Several of Orcholski’s students certainly paid attention during the

presentation and picked up on the important messages offered by the tour

travelers.

“I learned never to talk to strangers,” Taylor Tenhulzen offered.

“If you don’t tell the truth, your nose will get long,” Ted Keogh

said.

“I learned that reading is fun,” said AdrienneStarr Hong.

Indeed, those were the messages that the tour travelers emphasized.

“We wanted to make this as fun as possible but get across some strong

messages,” Sturtevant said.

There was plenty for the children to take in during the show. They

each sat on their own personal magic carpet, which took them several

places around the world, from Mexico to Africa, China and Italy. The Time

Tour travelers explained what the phrases, “folk tale,” and “fairy tale,”

meant, the difference between each, and then provided a skit of each.

Before the presentation came to an end, the all-knowing Genie left the

children with one parting thought.

“The whole world is reading, and reading is better than watching TV.

Reading lets you use your imagination and puts you right in the middle of

a story. It’s like chocolate fudge sundaes -- it is the best,” he said.

* MIKE SCIACCA is the education and sports reporter. He can be reached

at (714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.