Salve Regina Hosts 8th Annual March Into Reading

March Into Reading!, an event organized by the Aquidneck Collaborative for Education (ACE), along with local librarians, teachers and Salve Regina University hosted its eighth annual event at the O'Hare academic building last Saturday. The reading festival strives to bring families together to highlight the importance of reading.

Eighteen authors and illustrators participated in this year’s event, along with thirty Salve students, who were all early elementary education majors.

Lissa Fernandez, a member of the Department of Education and March Into Reading committee member said the students “have all worked so hard and gone the extra mile to make this event special and deserve much of the credit for the event running so smoothly.”

The students were responsible for creation of the children’s discovery rooms that included “Who’s in the Garden?” “Fabulous Farms,” and “Flower Power," as well as the Family Information Centers focusing on healthy lifestyles, nutrition and growing your own food in a garden.

Authors and illustrators were not only on hand Saturday to sign their books and make presentations. Several volunteered their time on Friday by visiting all elementary and middle schools on Aquidneck Island for story-telling sessions, which gave students the opportunity to make the connection between the authors and the books.

The mission of ACE is to strengthen existing relations among the educational institutions on Aquidneck Island and promote education as a community value. They also provide opportunities for professional development and instructional advancemen, as well as  share facilities and resources that fosters communication with schools and the community.

"It is a small island and it is nice to have something that connects us together," Fernandez said.

Local authors participating this year included:
Laura Backman, Lemon the Duck
Jane Bregoli, The Goat Lady
Loree Griffin Burns, The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe
Clara Silverstein, A White House Gardening Cookbook: Healthy Ideas from the First Family for Your Family
Melissa Stewart, A Place for Frogs and When Rain Falls
Wendy Watson, Bedtime Bunnies

All of the books featured at March Into Reading are available for purchase at Island Books in Middletown.