First, we’re having a GREAT time with the One School-One Book program…. Getting “thank you” notes from parents already about how it’s “forcing” some family reading time that they seemed to have lost over the years.
— Paul Marinko - Principal at St. Paul's Lutheran School - Fort Wayne, IN
Since last spring, our entire school has excitedly embraced the One School, One Book Program. We will soon begin our spring selection: A Cricket in Times Square -- the third book we've adopted since the spring of 2010!

We are so thrilled with the positive impact this program has had on our students, families, and staff
— Laurie LaRue - First Grade Teacher at Edgewood School - Bristol, CT
I think the OSOB program is brilliant. My seven year-old attends Orleans Elementary in Massachusetts and they (we) are reading Masterpiece. Since the grades levels range from one to five at this school, finding a book to suit all is difficult. My daughter can follow the big picture somewhat but we have to reinforce what we’ve read because it’s a lot to take in for her.
— Glenn Krzeminski - Parent of student at Orleans Elementary - Orleans, MA
The One District, One Book program promoted by Read To Them...is a powerful way to systemically address and promote a culture of literacy throughout the entire school system.

My school actually adopted a hamster and even used it as “pet therapy” for many of the behaviorally challenged children in our school.
— Kenny Moles of West Virginia

Assembly Ideas

1. Have a sinuous, mysterious violin piece (you pick one) play in the assembly from an unidentified, anonymous location. (Probably via an unseen mike and speaker.) Just let it start and play. Have specially selected students – perhaps dressed up as Grand Central Station commuters (e.g. a business man w/ briefcase; a secretary in pearls and high heels; others) arrive on stage, search for the source, fail to find it, and carry on their way. Such an assembly would have no words – just the beautiful violin piece, people conspicuously wondering what it is/where it’s coming from – and that’s it. Simple, beautiful, mysterious, perfect.

4. Some schools like to have an interactive fair of sorts on the day they start their book. They like to devote a day to it, or sometimes a parent evening. For these schools, serving food is a key element driving attendance and participation. In this vein, you could have A Cricket in Times Square Banquet – devoted to all the food in the book. Start w/ Sai Fong’s banquet (e.g. chop suey), then add Tucker Mouse’s celebration (e.g. popcorn), and make sure to include the little random elements like Tucker’s liverwurst and Mario’s chocolate and Sai Fong’s mulberry leaves. It would make for quite a broad-ranging introduction to the book.

[Note: Some schools like to hold an event like this at the end of their month. For A Cricket in Times Square Banquet, holding it at the end of the month would be ideal. Just imagine kids having the chance to go up and smell and touch and taste (for the daring) - "This is liverwurst?! Yuck." But it's little stuff like that that brings the book alive.]