First Lady Crissy Haslam Hosts a Read20 Family Book Club Holiday Event at the Nashville Public Library
Event to promote reading 20 minutes each day throughout the holidays
NASHVILLE – First Lady Crissy Haslam visited with more than 60 preschool and kindergarten students today to encourage their participation in the Read20 Family Book Club. The students joined Mrs. Haslam for holiday crafts and a reading of Colleen Monroe’s A Wish to be a Christmas Tree, the December Book of the Month. Friends of the Library donated a copy of the book to each student in attendance.
The Read20 Family Book Club was launched last summer to highlight the importance of early literacy and parental engagement in children’s academic lives, encouraging Tennessee families to read together for at least 20 minutes each day.
“This holiday season, I am encouraging families to give the gift of literacy to their children by reading together for at least 20 minutes each day,” said Mrs. Haslam. “Reading with children is a priceless gift that can help them to be successful in school and in life.”
As part of the First Lady’s initiative, Mrs. Haslam has been promoting the value of parent and community engagement in education and literacy development. The Read20 Family Book Club gives Tennessee families a fun goal of reading together with their children for 20 minutes every day. One book is selected each month as the featured “Book of the Month,” but families are encouraged to continue reading other books after finishing the featured book. Family friendly activities for the Book of the Month can be accessed by visiting the book club website, www.tn.gov/read20.
“Families can spend quality time together during the holidays,” said Mrs. Haslam. “This month’s featured book is beautifully illustrated and shorter in length, providing families with an opportunity to practice reading fluency through repeated readings and enjoy the story together.”
For more information about the Read20 Family Book Club visit www.tn.gov/read20, www.facebook.com/CrissyHaslam, follow @Read20TN on Twitter, or go to your local public library.