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Read for the Record 2023
October 26, 2023
The Literacy Coalition is coordinating Read for the Record in Palm Beach County for the 18th year on October 26, 2023
Read for the Record brings together millions of people each year in classrooms, libraries, community centers and homes across the US. This annual campaign was launched 18 years ago to highlight the importance of building early literacy and language skills for EVERY child so that all children have the opportunity to enter kindergarten prepared to succeed.
The Literacy Coalition and our local partner PNC Grow Up Great have joined Jumpstart’s national Read for the Record campaign again to coordinate locally for thousands of adults to read the chosen book to children across the county on a single day. The Literacy Coalition is working locally with municipal leaders, businesses and individual volunteers to make a huge impact.
Register your municipality or register to volunteer below:
Last Year’s Read for the Record Campaign Highlights
500
Books distributed to childcare centers
548
Municipal and community volunteers
26,625
Students read to at...
154
Elementary school and childcare center locations throughout Palm Beach County.
2023 Read for the Record Book Selection
This year’s book selection is With Lots of Love by Jenny Torres Sanchez and illustrated by Andre Ceolin. It is a story about a girl who has moved to the United States from her home in Central America, away from everything she leaves behind and longs for – especially her Abuela. Rocio does her best to adjust to a new way of living, but there are many things she misses from her old life – Abuela’s cooking, Abuela’s piñata creations, Abuela’s warm hugs, and of course, Abuela herself most of all. But Abuela finds a way to send Rocio something special just in time for her birthday – a gift wrapped with lots of love – and that fills Rocio to the brim.
Watch JumpStart announcing the book selection with the author, Jenny Torres Sanchez:
Watch a reading of With Lots of Love from Read Around The World with Stacy:
17th Read for the Record Campaign Highlights
Mayors and public officials participated in our annual competition to see which municipality would have the greatest number of community leaders reading. Thank you to the 340 municipal leaders and staff representing 21 municipalities who participated at 122 sites reading to 19,266 students at elementary school and childcare center locations throughout the county.
Thank you to our celebrity reader Tania Rogers of WPTV 5, and additional campaign supporters The Palm Beach County League of Cities and Comcast.
The selected book was Nigel and the Moon by Antwan Eady and illustrated by Gracey Zhang. A young boy who dreams big, but is too scared to share his dreams with the world. Instead, every night he tells his dream of becoming an astronaut, dancer, and superhero to the moon. As his class moves through career week, Nigel’s community helps him build up confidence in who he is. This book encourages children to celebrate where they come from, who they are, and who they want to be.
2022 MUNICIPALITIES PARTICIPATING:
Small Municipalities
- Town of Cloud Lake
- Town of Haverhill
- Town of Juno Beach
- Town of Lake Park — WINNER
- Town of Lantana — Honorable Mention
- The Town of Loxahatchee Groves
- Town of Manalapan
- City of South Bay
- City of South Palm Beach
Winner of the Small Municipalities –Town of Lake Park: Vice Mayor Kim Glas-Castro, Mayor Michael O’Rourke, Commissioner Roger Michaud, Commissioner John Linden, Commissioner Mary Beth Taylor and Coalition CEO Kristin Calder.
Mid-Size Municipalities
- City of Belle Glade
- City of Greenacres
- City of Lake Worth Beach
- Village of Palm Springs — WINNER
- Village of Royal Palm Beach — Honorable Mention
Winner of the Mid-Size Municipalities — Village of Palm Springs: Library Director Jossie Maliska, Assistant Village Manager Kim Glas-Castro, Council Member Gary Ready and Council Member Pattie Waller.
Large Municipalities
- City of Boca Raton
- City of Boynton Beach — Honorable Mention
- City of Delray Beach — Honorable Mention
- Town of Jupiter
- City of Palm Beach Gardens
- The Village of Wellington — WINNER
- City of West Palm Beach — Honorable Mention
Literacy Coalition CEO, Kristin Calder with Mayor Anne Gerwig: Winner of the Large Municipality — The Village of Wellington.
The children and teachers enjoyed a morning of fun at the Cox Science Center based on the featured book at the Literacy Coalition with Cynthia Pilloni and Kim Reckley from PNC, Tania Rogers from WPTV 5 and Kristin Calder, CEO of the Coalition.
