The Early Learning Coalition of Duval County organized public school Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten programs to participate Thursday in “Read for the Record,” an annual national event to encourage adults and children to read the same book on the same day.
Hundreds of local students and dozens of adult readers participated in story times, including at the Main Library. This year’s selection, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle, was chosen for the attempt to set a new reading record with partners Mayor Peyton’s Book Club and the Jacksonville Children’s Commission.
Library Associate Rebekah Mitchell led the “Read for the Record” event at the Main Library.
About 100 first-graders from R.V. Daniels Elementary School had the book read to them in the Children’s Department at the Main Library while Hyatt General Manager Dan King and several members of the hotel’s staff went on a field trip to S.P. Livingston Elementary School where they took turns reading to students and also donated copies of the book to the school’s library.
The attempt at the record is sponsored each year by Jumpstart, a national nonprofit organization that created the campaign to bring preschool children and adults together to focus on building literacy.