Sheila Bradley of Osborne Books said there was a line of customers waiting to get their free books on Sunday during the Read Across America event, which promoted reading at the Kukui Grove Center.
“There were quite a few people waiting,” Bradley said. “And we weren’t even set up yet.”
As part of the Read Across America event, Bradley and Eklysse Litvack of Kumu’s Cupboard collaborated as a fundraiser for the educators’ resource center near the Target store in the Kukui Marketplace.
Theodore Seuss Geisel was born in Massachusetts on March 2, 1904, and became known as an American children’s author and cartoonist. According to online sources, Seuss became known for writing and illustrating more than 60 books under the pen name Dr. Seuss.
His work, including the creation of The Cat in the Hat, encourages people to read, leading to the creation of National Read Across America Day.
The Cat in the Hat, borrowed from the Seussical musical, had the honor of reading the first book in honor of celebrating Seuss’s birthday.
“Music has no words to read,” said Hank Curtis, the keyboard artist who filled in between readers. “People have to wait until the movie comes out to hear the story’s music.”
With that in mind, Curtis filled in the read-aloud stories with familiar music from the celluloid realm. The music motivated the keiki activities taking place in the rainbow of worlds available and was monitored by members of the Kauai Association of Family and Community Education, which was visited by Moana, who prefaced her visit with a song on stage.
For the crew at Kauai Ocean Discovery, the Read Across America was an extension of the Ola Ka ‘i olelo Hawaii celebration. The hands-on keiki and family activities remained koholo or humpback whale, but Sunday’s event was Olelo English.
Kapaa Middle School instructor Mary Lardizabal and her Kapaa Middle School Choir and Ukulele Bank transitioned the event to future readers Aldrine Guerrero and his Ukulele group, which meets once a month at the Kukui Grove Center.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
