After 35 years as a preschool teacher, Carrie Dawn knows that young children love stories – especially when they are read aloud. Over the decades, she has watched hundreds of little ones widen their eyes and lean in as they listen to her read their favorite books, according to a news release.
“Reading is a fun, magical way to transport us to different worlds and use our imaginations,” says Dawn, wearing her Miss Wiggleberry costume – a polka-dotted floppy hat, hot pink parachute pants, and flower petal sunglasses — as she prepares to read her whimsical Tales From Wiggleberry, the first in the Wiggleberry World series, to Encinitas County Day School, the news release states.
As a retired teacher, she has been invited to several local libraries and classrooms throughout North County in March as part of Read Across America Day commemorating Dr. Suess’s birthday. She will also attend the San Diego Writers Festival in Coronado at the end of the month.
She is on a mission to help children fall in love with reading. Research on educational outcomes consistently shows that children who read at or above grade level by fourth grade are more likely to graduate high school, succeed at their future careers, and even enjoy better physical and emotional health. “Literacy is my passion because it helps children have fulfilling lives, all while having good, silly, imaginative fun,” said Dawn in the news release.
Yet, the United States continues to decline in its literacy rates. “It’s more important than ever before to give young children a wide array of engaging books and show them how fun reading can be,” says Dawn in the news release.
It’s why she created Wiggleberry World, a rhyming, Seussical story featuring a cast of zany characters and fun-filled adventures. “Through my stories, I hope children are inspired to become anything they want to be,” she adds in the news release. Dawn hopes to develop her books into coloring books, theme parks, and cruise vacations.
Until then, kids of all ages can take a trip to Wiggleberry World and find Mrs. Wiggleberry and her stuffed Miggles the Cat at a local reading:
March 3: Pajama Reading at 4 p.m. – Carmel Valley Library (3919 Townsgate Dr., Carmel Valley).
March 18: 10:30 a.m. – Rancho Santa Fe Library Storytime (17040 Avenida De Acacias, Unit A, Rancho Santa Fe).
March 28: San Diego Writers Festival (Visit sandiegowritersfestival.com for more information).
For more information on Dawn and the Wiggleberry World, visit www.wiggleberryworld.com