Celebrities, politicians and TV personalities will be sharing stories at the Stafford Library in Woodbury on Saturday. Lots of them.
From the time the doors open at 9 a.m. until they close at 5 p.m., they'll be reading aloud stories written by some of the most revered authors in children's literature along with some of their personal favorites, all in the name of encouraging kids to pick up a book.
"I always encourage kids to read books about a topic they enjoy," said WCCO-TV meteorologist Chris Shaffer, a Woodbury resident and one of the participants. "I wish all libraries would do stuff like this. I smile when I see kids holding a book versus staring at a computer screen."
Shaffer will pull up a chair in the library's children's area, where he plans to read a few Curious George adventures, Dr. Seuss tales and naturally, a book on the weather.
Authors will rotate through the day, with each taking a 30-minute shift.
Similar programs also will take place Saturday at the Park Grove Library in Cottage Grove and the Wildwood Library in Mahtomedi.
The Read-a-Thon is one of several special events connected to the library's "One County, One Book" initiative. That program is encouraging Washington County residents of all ages to read Alice Ozma's book, "The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared," between January and March.
Ozma was in fourth grade when her father embarked on a challenge to read aloud to her for 100 consecutive nights. Those bedtime stories continued all the way through junior high and high school and didn't stop until the night Alice left for college. In her book, Ozma recounts special moments she had with her dad and lessons she learned from the books he read to her.
