Reading at Dedham's Blue Bunny bookstore helps set new worldwide record

Twenty-one preschoolers attentively listened as the very hungry caterpillar gobbled through nearly everything in sight, only to build a cocoon and emerge a beautiful butterfly.

“Do you like that?” storyteller Margie Leonard asked preschoolers at The Blue Bunny bookstore last Thursday.

“Yeah!” the kids chanted.

The preschoolers and their guardians met at the bookstore last Thursday morning for a free reading of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” by Eric Carle and to help set a record for Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign. In its fourth year, the international campaign has kids read the same book on the same day across the world. Last year the campaign broke its record of 700,000, with the reading Don Freeman’s book “Corduroy.” Each venue signed up for the campaign, submits its numbers through Jumpstart’s Web site. While the numbers are still being counted, Jumpstart reports last Thursday’s participants helped set a new record.

Janet Reynolds, The Blue Bunny’s general manager, said the bookstore decided to participate in the event because it shares a similar mission with the nonprofit.

 And she added, “We’re always looking for some fun event to bring kids in.”

Participants in last Thursday’s reading said they were thrilled to hear about the event.

“We love the story,” said Walpole resident Heidi Clarke, who brought her 3-year-old son, William.

Cambridge’s Laine Catlin attended the event with her nearly 2-year-old niece, Tali Catlin, of Dedham.

 “It’s nice to have the interaction with the other kids while her brother is in school,” she said.

At The Blue Bunny, last Thursday’s event didn’t end with “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” Leonard also read “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” by Bill Martin Jr. and “Baby Faces Peekaboo,” by Dorling Kindersley.

In “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” the lowercase letters of the alphabet decide to climb a tree only to discover a slight space problem.

“Chicka chicka boom, will there be enough room?” Leonard read.

The letters tumble from the tree and their parents, aunt and uncles - which are all capital letters - help them up.

“Baby Faces Peekaboo,” includes photos of children with different facial expressions.

Owen Corso, a 3-year-old Walpole resident, volunteered to stand before the group and make a grumpy face.

“Oh my gosh, there’s a grumpy face!” Leonard said.

His mother, Susan, said her son is a ball of energy.

“He always likes to get up and do things,” she said.

Henry Whitcomb, a 3-year-old Dedham resident, also enjoyed “Baby Faces Peekaboo,” his mother, Colleen, said. His favorite part of last Thursday’s event was making a silly face in the mirror found at the end of the book, she said.

After the readings children made caterpillars from colored circles of paper, stickers, googly eyes, and sparkles. When it comes to crafts for preschoolers simple is best, Reynolds said.

“They love glue sticks, they love sparkles and they love stickers,” she said of preschoolers.

Every Monday morning the bookstore, at 577 High St., holds a storytime and organizes a craft project for preschoolers.

“We take whoever comes,” Leonard said.

For more information on The Blue Bunny visit its Web site at, www.dedhambluebunny.com. To find out more on Jumpstart’s Read for the Record visit, www.readfortherecord.org.