Readings Help Teach Lessons of Diversity to Kids

Robin Freeman belted out the mighty roar of an angry tiger, prompting giggles from the group of children who leaned forward to catch her every word.

As part of a reading day in honor of Black History Month, Freeman--principal of Charles Blackstock School in Oxnard--and other adults Sunday took turns reading aloud children’s works by African American authors at Adventures for Kids Bookstore in Ventura.

“It’s part of helping kids to get along by learning and enjoying stories about kids who look different from them,” said Dori Maria, a member of the Ventura County Reading Assn., which hosted the event.

“It’s about promoting harmony in our community,” Maria said.

The local event--part of a two-day program that continues today with students reading in their classrooms--is linked to a nationwide “reading chain.” The goal this year, according to Maria, is to have more than 1 million Americans across the country reading works by African American authors.

In Ventura, nine children sat in a semicircle Sunday, straining their necks sometimes to get a good peek at the pictures in the books, while diligently licking their lollipops.

Freeman read “Sam and the Tigers,” an updated version of the Sambo legend, by Julius Lester. The story is about a little boy whose coveted new clothes are snatched by greedy tigers who later face payback time.

Karen DiCarlo, co-owner of the Pacific Suns minor league baseball team in Oxnard, read “The Best Bug to Be,” by Dolores Johnson. It’s a story about a girl who thinks she wants a minor role in a school play but later changes her mind.

Ventura City Councilwoman Donna De Paola read the kids a short book, “Good Morning Baby,” by Cheryl Willis Hudson. And Arthur Lopez, president of the Oxnard elementary school board, read a story by Bill Cosby.

“I think it’s important,” DiCarlo said of the event. “Kids need to be introduced to a wide array of authors.”

Said De Paola: “We should do this more often, not just for African American History Month.”

After declaring that the tiger story was his favorite, 5-year-old Gabe Jones gave his thumbs-up to the event.

“I liked the whole thing because the stories were funny,” Gabe said.