Children To Meet Writers At Reading Event On Baylor Campus

by Judy Long

Area second graders are gearing up to attend Readers, Artists and Dreamers Day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, in Baylor University's Ferrell Center. This year's event features singer and songwriter Joe Scruggs, whose popular children's albums include the videos Deep in the Jungle and Even Trolls Have Moms. Latina writer and educator Maria Smith will entertain children with her music and stories for the second year.
Local performers will include Todd McKinney, a magician whose program integrates math, science and reading, and Waco storyteller and librarian Vivian Rutherford. Children will watch skits, complete an art project under the direction of local artists and hear top-rated children's stories read to them by local firefighters, law enforcement officers, nurses and other professionals.
This year's sponsors, including McLennan Public Library, MindPrime, Follett Books, CEFCO, ARAMARK, Compass Christian Bookstore, Baylor libraries, and others, enable Central Texas schools to attend at no cost.
Event facilitator Jane Wilkinson, co-owner of MindPrime, said the event strengthens children's desire to read and confidence in their ability to succeed. "This year, with a program headed by a leading Texas artist and powerful local talent, we expect to capture the imagination of our children even more vividly and inspire them to find a creative expression of their own voice."
The event is coordinated by "Building a Nation of Readers, Artists and Dreamers," a local non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate a new generation of readers, artists and dreamers by providing children close personal contact with authors and artists to challenge them in reading, creativity and learning.
For more information, contact Wilkinson at MindPrime Inc. at (254) 848-4138.