EDUCATION

Reading across Siskiyou

Skye Kinkade

Kathy Roselli, recently retired First 5 commissioner, reads the well-loved children’s alphabet book “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” to preschoolers at Shady Creek Children’s Center on Thursday. The visit was a part of Read Across Siskiyou, a First 5 event that promotes literacy and a love of reading.

Hundreds of children across Siskiyou County found out exactly what happens when the entire alphabet runs up a coconut tree while reading “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” on Thursday.

Special guest readers from around the county visited local preschools to participate in the third annual Read Across Siskiyou event, which encourages literacy and promotes the joy of reading, including County Supervisors Ed Valenzuela and Michael Kobseff, retired First 5 commissioner Kathy Roselli and Siskiyou County Office of Education’s Emily Lacroix.

Free copies of the book were given to each child to read with their families at home.

“This special event is an opportunity to bring preschool children together with special grownups in their lives to read the same book, the same day in communities across the county,” said First 5 Siskiyou executive director Karen Pautz.

Last year’s event featured the book “Llama Llama Red Pajama,” by Anna Dewdney, and the 2008 story was the much loved classic “Courdoroy,” by Don Freeman.