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'Read Across America Day' encourages children to read

“We encourage everyone to pick up their favorite book and read it," WCNC Charlotte's Larry Sprinkle said.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's National Reading Month and WCNC Charlotte is celebrating by reading books virtually for parents and teachers to share with children.

'Read Across America Day', celebrated on Tuesday, March 2, looks a little different this year.  With many students in the Charlotte area learning virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic, WCNC Charlotte reached out to several children's book authors for permission to read their book to share on social and digital platforms.

The National Education Association started Read Across America day in 1998 in an effort to motivate children to read books.  It celebrates reading and diverse books all year long.

WCNC Charlotte is celebrating by picking up a book and reading it on video to share with a child.

Larry Sprinkle of the First Warn Storm Team read the book "Kibby The Space Dog", written by Andrea Cassell.  It's a story is about a dog named Kibby looking different with the "cone of shame." 

“We encourage everyone to pick up their favorite book and read it," Sprinkle said.  “There’s always books about something you like, a subject you like. So maybe it’s about outer space or maybe it’s a book about weather or something like that.  That’s why ‘Read Across America Day’ is so, so very important."

WCNC Charlotte anchor Fred Shropshire also read a book written by Cassell.  This one is titled, "Kibby and Olive Move to Georgia", where Kibby experiences an unexpected adventure when his parents move from his home and the friends he loves. 

"There are some really neat lessons to learn in this story that sometimes it's not always so bad to experience something new," Shropshire said.

And the third and final book written by Cassell is "Kibby Gets a Little Sister." It's a story about about how Kibby reacts to getting a little sister.  It's read by WCNC Charlotte morning anchor Ben Thompson.

Have you ever had a dream you thought was too big to share-boldly?  The children's book "The Meteorologist In Me" is a inspirational story about a little girl named Summer with a dream to become a TV Meteorologist.  

The book is written by Brittney Shipp, a TV Meteorologist from Los Angeles, California and it's read by WCNC Charlotte Meteorologist Iisha Scott.

It's a book that Scott can easily relate to.

"I'm a TV meteorologist and I've been wanting to do this since I was 7-years-old.  And just like Summer I had my doubts, I had my fears.  And you know, sometimes we tend to think sometimes maybe our big dreams aren't possible because we're not tall enough or we're not funny enough.  But whatever that dream is, make sure you stick with it and never give up."

RELATED: "We Stand Together, Just Six Feet Apart" | Doctors write children's book explaining coronavirus

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Trying to explain the pandemic to children and the world we live in now isn't easy.  Four women, three of them doctors, decided to do something about it by writing a new children’s book called “We Stand Together, Just Six Feet Apart.” The book is read by WCNC Charlotte anchor Bill McGinty.

The book "The Adventures of Sid & Eli: The Shiny Thing In the Garden" is a book written by Allison Andrews and is a story about two cousins who are very different, but share a love of adventure.  The book is read by WCNC Charlotte anchor Sarah French.

WCNC Charlotte Meteorologist Brad Panovich read the book "Where You Belong" by Tyranika Abrams.  It's a story about an elephant calf that just wants to play in the mud with the rhinos, but when they tell her that she does not belong there, she struggles to figure out where she does belong.

WCNC Charlotte employees was invited to read a book virtually in dozens of classrooms across the Fort Mill School district leading up to Read Across America Day.  Teachers can request a virtual visit from the WCNC Charlotte team online.

Credit: WCNC Charlotte
WCNC Charlotte Sports Director Nick Carboni reading to second grade students at Tega Cay Elementary School.

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