As Dr. Seuss wrote, “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

The City of Rancho Cordova celebrated Read Across America Day – the birthday of Dr. Seuss – on February 28, 2017 by presenting a new, free book to every pre-K through second grade public school student in Rancho Cordova.

City officials delivered 3,500 books to 14 elementary schools in Rancho Cordova. The book topics varied by grade from Pete the Pig Likes Fruit for kindergarteners to Famous Places Around the World for second graders.

“Read Across America Day is a wonderful opportunity for the City of Rancho Cordova to partner with local schools to inspire in children a love of books and help them to reach the goal of reading with the appropriate skill for their grade. It also encourages reading outside of the classroom,” said Vice Mayor Linda Budge. “Having a book of their own means our students can practice their reading whenever and wherever they want.”

The books came with a special sticker on the inside where students wrote their names, so they knew the books were theirs to keep. The books were also provided in both English and Spanish to foster a love of learning and reading for children who are currently Spanish-language proficient and learning English.

“[Reading] is good for you, and you can learn from it,” said first grader Jacquline Raygoua. “You should never give up on reading.”

The books were provided by The Literacy Empowerment Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation dedicated to assisting educational programs by distributing children’s books and supplies across the U.S.