Green Eggs now read all over

Susan Miller’s third-grade class celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday Thursday by inviting family members to school and reading books over a breakfast of muffins and apple juice.

Parents, grandparents, siblings and a few neighbors packed the classrooms of Costa Mesa’s Victoria Elementary School for “Muffins in the Morning,” the school’s way of celebrating Read Across America Day, a national event that honors the children’s author.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to celebrate the joy of reading with their children,” Principal Judy Laasko said.

Seuss’ message ? “You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child” ? has become the unofficial mantra of Read Across America Day. The event, which began as a one-time celebration of the author’s birthday sponsored by the National Education Assn., aims to motivate students to become lifelong readers.

Most schools invite sports stars, firefighters and government officials to read with children. Victoria’s approach focuses on the importance of family to a student’s success in school.

“Parents are an essential part of children’s education,” Miller said. “This is a time to show how reading is important and talk about how reading is fun.”

Miller said the breakfast’s casual setting offered her a chance for positive interactions with parents.

“Usually we only meet for conferences,” she said. “Conferences can be positive as well, but reading together benefits us in so many ways.”

Class President Gerson Salgada said reading by himself was more enjoyable because he can read at a faster speed, but he said comprehension was more important. “It’s not about reading fast. It’s about understanding the book,” he explained.

Lori Simpson, mother of Alexandra, enjoyed the chance to sit down with the kids and enjoy the classroom atmosphere.

“She’s very excited about sharing what she does with me,” Simpson said.

Jose Garcia, 9, read to a giggling table of boys about the hunting practices of Native American tribes. They snickered at a picture of tiny spears and rocks, wondering how it was possible to hunt food with them. Jose explained that the characters in the book hunted small animals and did not need large spears.

Jose’s mother, Isidra Molina, acted as the table parent for the boys whose parents could not attend, calming the rowdy group with a smile.

“Every year I’ve been coming here,” Molina said. “I enjoy watching them reading books and learning.”

Student Chloe Murphy took turns reading “KatKong” by Dav Pilkey with her three-year-old brother Isaiah, grandmother Joani Steinke and two classmates. The book retells the tale of King Kong but replaces the gorilla with a enormous angry cat that receives offerings of canned tuna from savage mice chanting, “Ki-tee, Ki-tee.”

As Chloe began to read, all of the children leaned in to hear the story. In a low voice the 11-year old began, “One dark and perilous night.” During the story, the kids pointed out things that caught their attention on the page.

“Look, a giant can of fish,” Isaiah said.

Miller said she hopes that the interactions will promote confidence in her students while giving parents an appreciation of their influence on their children.

“People have busy lives,” she said.. “You can tell by everyone’s faces that they get that nice focus and can only continue to build confidence.”dpt.07-classroom-kt-CPhotoInfoC61OLTMS20060307ivq252knKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Kiana Dominguez, 9, and her mother, Lenora Ojeda, right, read ‘Arthur and the Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club’ as Alexandra Simpson, 8, and her mother, Lori, read another book at Victoria Elementary School on Thursday. The activity, called ‘Muffins in the Morning’ is part of the Read Across America program.