Your Library recently celebrated Read Across America Week with over 700 Johnson City kindergarteners!
Read Across America is a National Education Association initiative created for the purpose of spreading the joy and excitement of reading with kids. Libraries and schools all over the country take a week every March to celebrate.
Our children’s librarians spent the week dressing up as Elephant, Piggie, and Pigeon from Mo Willems’ stories and acting out skits for school groups and families. These beloved characters (and librarians) were a hit!
We talked with Assistant Director of Children’s Services Suzy Bomgardner—otherwise known as Pigeon—about the significance of Read Across America and why we highlight it every year at the Library.
Why do we celebrate Read Across America Week?
Read Across America Week is all about celebrating the joy of reading and helping kids see books as something exciting and fun.
It’s a chance to highlight how stories connect us, spark curiosity, and build a lifelong love of reading.
It was especially important to us to celebrate our hero Mo Willems, as he is so intentional in leaving room for stories to come to life. That was our goal with these shows, to bring his stories to life!
How did we commemorate Read Across America Week this year?
We went all out with special Mo Willems-themed performances featuring Pigeon, Gerald, and Piggie! We hosted over 500 kindergarteners from across Johnson City for lively, interactive shows. Bringing stories to life in such a big way helps kids feel the magic of books in a way they won’t forget. We also wanted kiddos to know how easy it is to get their very own magical library card, so a big part of our performance highlighted Pigeon getting hers. If Pigeon can get a library card, they can too!
How did kids respond to the performances?
The kids were all in—laughing, shouting out, and absolutely thrilled to see their favorite characters come to life. Teachers and parents have told us how much their kids loved it and how excited they are to read more. That kind of enthusiasm is exactly what we hope for!
As a librarian, why do you think Read Across America Week is important?
For me, the week is about creating moments that make books feel special and personalized. Reading isn’t just a skill—it’s an adventure, a way to connect, and something that can bring so much joy. If we can help kids associate reading with fun and excitement designed for them, we’re setting them up for a lifelong love of books, and that’s what really matters.
Check out our events calendar to find more fun and educational children’s programs. Follow Johnson City Public Library on Facebook and Instagram to receive updates about Library programs, collections, and services.
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