"Books for Breakfast" set for March 3 in Saginaw

by Janet I. Martineau

Free books and pancakes are the order of the day Saturday (March 3) when  at the 7th Annual Books for Breakfast takes place at the Hunger Solution Center, 940 E. Genesee in Saginaw.

Sponsored by the READ Association of Saginaw County, the 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  event is designed to bring parents, grandparents and families together to celebrate reading and encourage families to read together every day. It includes an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, a free new book for every child, storytelling, and costumed character mascots from the community.

The cost is $3 per person (under one year of age is free) with tickets on sale the door. Those attending also are encouraged to bring canned goods and receive, in turn, one raffle ticket for each can donated for a chance to win additional books.  The canned goods will benefit Hidden Harvest and the East Side Soup Kitchen, which share the Hunger Solution Center facility located between Janes and Thompson.

Staff from the Public Libraries of Saginaw will read throughout the morning as scheduled:

• 9:30 am, “Like Butter On Pancakes”  by Jonathan London  and  “Pancakes for Breakfast” by Tomie de Paola.
• 10 am, “Pancakes, Pancakes” by Eric Carle and “The Runaway Pancake” by Peter Asbjornsen.
• 10:30 am, “If You Give A Pig A Pancake” by Laura Numeroff.
•  11:00 am, “Hey, Pancakes” by Tamson Weston and “Pancakes for Supper” by Anne Isaacs.

Among the other sponsors of “Books for Breakfast’ are  Public Libraries of Saginaw County, Saginaw County Birth to 5 Program and the Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum.  And it is funded in part by the Harvey Randall Wickes Foundation.  

The READ Association of Saginaw County is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help students improve their reading skills and discover the joy of reading. It currently has more than  500 volunteers who read with 1,100  children one-on-one at 45 locations throughout Saginaw County. 

READ also sponsors “DEAR at the Zoo - Drop Everything and Read," which will celebrate its 11th anniversary on Wednesday, June 13, at the Children’s Zoo at Celebration Square.