Students' love of reading surfaces in Utica Community Schools during March is Reading Month

A love of books is taking center stage at schools throughout the district during March is Reading Month.

Guest readers, special reading-related themes and assemblies and even ’Paws,‘ the Detroit Tigers mascot, are helping create excitement for reading at UCS elementary schools.

At Beacon Tree, where the theme is Under the Sea; Explore an Ocean of Books, students are talking about their favorite books and the importance of reading.

“You can learn a lot about any topic by just reading about it,” said third grader Lila Niespolo. “I just think it is so very important. It’s not hard to just pick up a book and start reading.”

A reader since she was 2 1/2, she is currently on the last book in the Harry Potter series.

For her friend Skylar Bakun, reading opens up new worlds. “I like to discover new things,” she said.

Bakun also has a system for finding out what books she likes before she starts reading it. “When I find a new book, I first look at the cover and if it interests me, I’ll flip through the pages to see if it looks cool.”

She is currently reading Dolphin Tale 2, from where she learned that dolphins are a speciesLove of boo that typically swim in pairs to stave off loneliness.

Their classmate Luke Bernardi is reading Diary of Wimpy Kid and enjoying the book’s humor. He thinks reading is important because it makes you better at other subjects. “If you have a story problem in math, it helps you read the problem better and answer the question,” he said.