Art Read Think Day

photo by Bob Adamek

Skyline Middle School invited 25 guest readers to our 5th Annual Art Read Think Day last week. The day long re-adthon had a diverse group of readers that included the Harrisonburg Mayor, Superintendent, School Board Members, City Council, Radio DJ, Administrators, Teachers and others from the community who shared their favorite stories or from a collection of Art Books. Teachers signed up for 15 minute time slots throughout the day to bring classes to hear stories being told.
The event is a wonderful way to highlight the creative connections and inspiration found when art & literature combine! Dan Rublee, one of our guest readers summed up the event for our local paper beautifully: "Art, literature, and music bring solace, peace and good feelings amidst the struggles of life. It's an escape mechanism. If they [students] can immerse themselves in those things, they can create a whole new world for themselves". 

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Here are some of the books shared during our ART Day event:

• Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon Illustrations by Henri Sorensen
• Black Cat Bone by J Patrick Lewis  Illustrations by Gary Kelley
• The Three Pigs by David Wiesner
  
• 10,00 Dresses by Marcus Ewert Illustrations by Rex Ray
  
• Edgar Allan Poe Edited by Andrew Delbanco Illustrations by Gerard DuBois
  
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer pictures by Elizabeth Zunon
  
• Love by Matt De La Pena Illustrations by Loren Long
  
• How Artists See the Weather by Colleen Carroll
  
• Radiant Child - The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe
  
• Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena pictures by Christian Robinson
  
• The Pencil by allan Ahlberg Illustrations by Bruce Ingman
  
• ​The Dot by Peter H Reynolds
  

Many thanks to our readers, teachers, administrators and my collaborator- our librarian Sandy Parks for helping to make this annual event happen!