HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - The Library of Hattiesburg, Petal, and. Forrest County held a Community Literacy’ Day.
The event was the first in two years and put together by the library, Hattiesburg Parks & Recreation, Excel by 5, the Hattiesburg Early Learning Collaborative and United Way.
Kids were brought in for story time with readers from the community, including Mayor Toby Barker.
Each child also was given a free book to take home and got their own library cards.
Amy Lyon, United Way of Southeast Mississippi Community Impact director, said Saturday’s event was an effort to help introduce kids to books before they hit the classroom.
“Their brains are like sponges and absorb so much at that young age,” Lyon said. “ They learn from everything, so learning to read doesn’t just start when they get to kindergarten, but really once they’re little,” said Lyon. “So, looking at words and letters and numbers and just seeing that altogether before they learn the basics of how to read.”
Lyon said they hope to bring the event back next year and reach even more parents and children.