More than 250 pajama-clad children listened to Diane Patrick, the wife of Gov. Deval Patrick, read for Jumpstart’s sixth annual Read for the Record day at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square.
Jumpstart is a program that supports early childhood education. The pajama party at the Copley library on Thursday was one of many reading celebrations throughout the city.
Jumpstart enlisted about 2.1 million children across the nation to read Anna Dewdney’s “Llama Llama Red Pajama,” breaking the record set by last year’s Read for the Record.
“[‘Llama Llama Red Pajama’] was picked in collaboration between Jumpstart and Pearson,” said Susan Slater, Jumpstart’s executive director of the Northeast region.
The Pearson Foundation is among Jumpstart’s corporate sponsors, along with AmeriCorps, American Eagle Outfitters and the Boston Bruins Foundation. Past books read at Read for the Record include “The Snowy Day” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”
Jumpstart gave each child a copy of the book, which was also available for download on Read for the Record’s website.
“It’s about service,” said Ruth Strubank, senior director of education for Jumpstart. “It’s about serving children and families and insuring that all children have a quality early childhood education.”
Strubank said she hopes the event will draw attention to the importance and value of early education.
The children gathered at the BPL wore pajamas and participated in a variety of activities. After arts and crafts and a performance by magician Peter O’Malley, the children listened to Patrick read “Llama Llama Red Pajama.”
“This is the best time I’ve had in a very long time,” Patrick said. “They asked me if I would participate, and I could not have been more excited about saying yes.”
Despite facing a lecture hall packed with restless children, Patrick said she was not nervous.
“I used to teach kindergarten and third grade,” she said. “I’m in my element. I’d love to take all these children home with me.”
Though more branches of the BPL held reading activities, the pajama party at the main branch in Copley Square was the largest in Boston.
“This is my first event of many,” said Amy Schroeder, development associate for Jumpstart. “There’s a book, there are children and there are people to read to them. That’s what our mission is.”
