Gary Temple and Jackson Avenue First Graders Read Together

First Book traveled to Hackensack and back sharing the joy of books this week! First Book partners Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Sons Limited helped bring 1,000 books to children at Jackson Avenue Elementary School in Hackensack, New Jersey on Monday.

Not your typical reading party, 100 first graders had an extra-special afternoon and were treated to personal tours of real Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles with two Jaguars and two Land Rovers on-site for the children to climb through and explore. In addition, the children enjoyed a read-aloud with Jaguar Land Rover North America President, Gary Temple and Tata Sons Chief Representative, David Good. The kids participated in some fun reading activities and received two new books – Cars, a Little Golden book, and the classic Green Eggs and Ham – which they got to keep for their very own.

Handing out Green Eggs and Ham and reading along with the kids was my assignment. As we finished reading with one group of kids, a little boy approached me to turn in his book. “You don’t have to give it back, it’s yours to keep,” I said. His smile said it all as he lined up with his classmates, never letting go of that book. One little girl struggled to sound out her words, and her friend said, “she doesn’t know how,” but after a few pages of Green Eggs and Ham, she joined me in reading out loud and the friends sitting around her cheered her efforts. We picked out the page with the most words, and we all read the “hardest page in the book” together.

Sharing these moments with first graders I am humbled. Learning and reading starts with the heroic work parents and teachers do with children in their homes and classrooms. But without the very basic tools they need, they can’t excite children about this forever skill. Getting to know Sam-I-am for the first time, these children reminded me how important that introduction is.

Many thanks to the vision and community spirit that Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Sons shared as they helped First Book bring new books to children who needed them most. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “I do so like green eggs and ham…thank you, thank you Sam-I-am!”