SEATED IN FRONT OF A drawing of the Hundred Acre Wood, with Winnie the Pooh up in a tree eating “hunny” and Piglet on another, the school’s athletic director, Jose Dubon, read aloud holding his well-worn, taped-together copy of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.
The children were seated on tiny wooden benches around the stage, some listening raptly and some clutching one of the many puppets for sale. Others started to flip through the new copies of Dog Man, which they hoped their parents would buy for them.
RHEA SIGALA, 11, LEFT, DRESSED AS HAMILTON AND LUNA RIOS-AGUILAR, 10, LEFT, DRESSED AS MAOMAO FROM THE APOTHECARY DIARIES, LOOK THROUGH A BOOK DURING THE ST. JULIANA SCHOOL BOOK FAIR. PHOTOS BY SCOTT SMELTZER/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Dubon continued: “‘Until everything Morris knew was scattered, even the words of his books.’ How do you think Morris Lessmore feels?” One child shouted, “Sad!” “He feels very sad?” Dubon inquired. “What happened to him?”
St. Juliana Falconieri Catholic School in Fullerton took over the children’s section of the local Barnes & Noble on a Friday night for their twice-yearly book fair fundraiser.
SARAH JOHNSON, LEFT, AND HER SON TREY, 8, DRESSED AS GEORGE WASHINGTON, LOOK AT BOOKS DURING THE ST. JULIANA SCHOOL BOOK FAIR HELD AT THE BARNES & NOBLE BOOK IN FULLERTON.
The Nov. 14 event brought out children wrapped in coats and sweatshirts and their parents clutching umbrellas on the rainy evening to support the school. A portion of the book sales will go back to St. Juliana to fund the purchase of new books for the library.
“It’s a great fundraiser for the school,” said Dr. Teresa Puccini, St. Juliana’s principal. “We get books for our library with the money that they raise, and the families come together. They get to spend time together and the kids are having a ball. It’s a great night.”
Dubon, who also serves as a science aide, was one of four readers that night. He decided to read a well-loved book from his own family library that he used to read to his children, who are now teenagers. He said he wanted to share the story — and a little bit of himself — with his students as a way to connect.
“I love reading,” Dubon shared. “I loved reading to my kids when they were younger. It’s something I miss now that they are older, and I love to share that with the kids at the school. I think it’s important. It’s about building relationships and memories.”
Kindergarten teacher Jessica Swoish read the classic If You Give a Mouse A Cookie. She was dressed in overalls just like the main mouse character, only with felt cookies pinned to the front. Two third graders also volunteered to get onstage to read to the assembled students and parents.
Dressed as Eliza from Hamilton, Alaina De Leon, 8, took to the stage in a sage green dress made voluminous by the hoop skirts underneath to read Shel Silverstein’s Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? A fan of the iconic children’s author, De Leon, who also read aloud last year, said she wasn’t nervous; she had read Silverstein’s book many times and felt comfortable at the bookstore surrounded by friends.
“I just love reading,” De Leon commented. “You can learn something new.”
For Cecilia Beerman, the experience was nerve-racking at first, but when she finally started reading, she felt happier. Beerman read Rude Cakes — a book she found in her school library and thought it had a good message.
“I read some pages and I was like, ‘It’s a good lesson,’ Beerman said. “The rude cake finally learned she should be nicer.”