Tiffany Ridge students, staff praise One School, One Book author visit

Students and staff at Tiffany Ridge Elementary School in Park Hill said the school's One School, One Book program and an author visit by children's author Mike Knudsen this year energized students' interest in reading, speakers said at a school assembly.

Speaker 1, a Tiffany Ridge staff member, said the program ‘‘builds a community around the story’’ and noted the school selected the book Banjo Pickin', Karate Kickin', Crime Fighting Grandmas in conjunction with Knudsen's visit.

The assembly included several short remarks from students describing the visit and the books. ‘‘I've read 4 of mister Knudsen's books. They're really funny, so it just doesn't go their way,’’ Speaker 2 said. Another student, Speaker 4, said, ‘‘After hearing him in the assembly, it made me more excited to read the book.’’

Speaker 3, who identified having read and written children's books in the past, described why the humor and subject matter appeal to middle-elementary readers and said, ‘‘When you see a child has a question and it's sincere from their heart, they've read and they wanna know about this character, it just makes your day.’’

Several speakers tied the author visit directly to the One School, One Book program. ‘‘Anything you can do to get kids excited about books and reading is valuable and important,’’ Speaker 1 said, adding that bringing an author or illustrator into the school can ‘‘light a fire in somebody that wouldn't have read otherwise.’’

Remarks at the assembly focused on the program's role in encouraging reading, on-the-spot reactions to the visit, and students' enjoyment of Knudsen's books. No formal schoolboard actions or policy decisions were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.

Staff and students closed the event on a light note: ‘‘Keep reading, keep laughing, keep smiling, and life is good,’’ Speaker 3 said.