"Snowy Day" Brings Funny Faces

NOTE: Originally posted Friday Oct. 8, 2010
Story and photos by Lisa E. Crowley
The Brockton Post
BROCKTON—Dozens of kindergarten students at Raymond Elementary School in Brockton Thursday listened intently as special guest Julianne Andrade read Ezra Jack Keats’ children’s book, “The Snowy Day.”
Andrade--the district’s coordinator of elementary literacy for kindergarten to fifth grade and social studies for kindergarten to eighth grade--raised and lowered her voice and used hand expressions as she read from the 1962 classic about a young African-American boy enjoying the simple delights of a day spent playing in the snow.
“Can anyone tell me what happens when you put a snowball in your pocket,” Andrade asked the dozens of students.
“It melts,” many of the youngsters shouted.
The Raymond School joined all of Brockton’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes in a campaign by Jumpstart—a non-profit educational organization—called “Read for the Record” that seeks to increase literacy around the world.
All of Brockton’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes joined millions of other students who were treated to special adult guests such as Andrade who read “The Snowy Day” to students in an attempt to foster the love of reading among young students.
Celebrities such as Bill Cosby, Patti LaBelle, and NBC’s Today Show hosts Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera promoted the worldwide event on television shows throughout the day Thursday.
Read for the Record began in 2006 and initially the campaign was intended to set a record with Guiness Book of World Records for the most shared reading experience in the world.
During last year’s event 2,019,752 students read children's favorite, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."
A spokesman for Jumpstart said this year’s goal is for 2.5 million students, but the group is no longer affiliated with the Guiness Book of World Records.
Each of Brockton’s classroom teachers received a copy of “The Snowy Day,” from Jumpstart as part of Brockton’s participation in Read for the Record—a donation that may seem small, but having books for students to read is becoming more and more difficult, Andrade said.
“The budget for buying books has become less and less over the years and being able to have these books in the classrooms for students to read is very important,” Andrade said. "Literacy is the foundation of learning," she said.
Violet LeMar, Raymond’s associate principal, said administrators work hard to provide books through grants and foundations and the school was recently awarded 2,400 books from the First Book Foundation to be given to students in kindergarten to eighth grade, including “Henry and Mudge,” “The Berenstain Bears,” and “The View from Saturday.”
“Each student will receive at least two books to have of their own and take home,” LeMar said.
As Andrade read “The Snowy Day,” students laughed, raised their hands to answer questions and made funny faces as they followed along with the story.
Principal Carol McGrath, who attended several of the readings, was happy to recall her favorite pastime while walking to school in the snow.
“I made snow angels,” to which she received scrunch-faced looks from the kindergarteners who seemed to have a hard time picturing their principal waving her arms and legs in the snow making snow angels as a child.
Andrade said the program is a fun way to foster a love of reading in students.
“This is a time for adults to show their love of reading,” she said—especially as youngsters turn more and more to digital screens for their reading materials.
“There are certain qualities about having a book in your hand—turning the pages, reading the words,” Andrade said. “I hope 'Snowy Day' becomes a classic for these students as it has for me. I hope when they have children they read it to their children,” she said.