The Read-Aloud

On Friday morning I had the opportunity to read to a class of elementary school students in the town where we have a service station business.  In Merrick, NY, the schools host a Read-Aloud with various members of the community.  In fact, the Supervisor of the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Kate Murray, was a reader! 

The mayor and some representatives of Congress who live in the area were invited as well, but they sent someone from their offices, so I was surprised to see the actual Town Supervisor there.  Some parents, firemen and policemen, library people, and business owners also participated in this event.  Of course, the husband was busy running the business, so I was elected to go.

We met at 8:30AM in the school library where we received the book we were to read.  The school set up coffee, bagels and such as refreshments, which of course I was definitely partaking of.  Need that coffee in the morning! 

All the readers took a big group photograph for the local newspapers before going to our classrooms. Two students from each class came to get us by holding a cut-out hand on a stick with the name of their reader hand printed on it.  I was whisked away by two, adorable first grade girls!

The book I read was titled Charlie The Caterpillar, by Dom DeLuise. I had no idea this comedian wrote books for children and was surprised at how I enjoyed reading it and looking at the illustrations.  Dom DeLuise's writing style sounded just like him, a typical New Yorker, sort of like me!  The story was about the ugly caterpillar no one else wanted to play with.  The rabbits, mice, and other animals kept telling Charlie, Now giddattahere willya!  I read that line with my best NY accent!

It was fun reading to the class.  Later they asked me questions about  myself, who I was, where I lived, what I did.  We talked about the meaning of the story, how it's hard to fit in sometimes and it feels bad.  The kids were so serious!  Before it was time for me to leave I asked the teacher to take a picture of me with the class.  I explained that I write a blog and they were going to be a part of it.
Brave me.

The teacher had a welcome sign for me where all the students signed their names.  It was my gift for coming to read.  Of course, the teacher was not as brave as I was and hid behind the poster!