​Students at Sunbury West School in Fredericton Junction enjoyed their first ever I Read Canadian Day on February 19. The national event was launched for the first time this year to raise awareness about Canadian books among young readers and to celebrate the excellence of Canadian literature. Students across the district and country took part.

At Sunbury West School, retired teacher Jill Lowerison-Brown was invited to be a mystery reader for the day, reading from a book written by a Canadian author to students using the school's PA system. 

"All classes from kindergarten to Grade 8 listened to the story," said Principal Heather Lyons. "Then the students got together in their pods (multi-age groups) to do buddy reading. Each class was also treated to a new storybook written by a Canadian author."

Lyons said the mystery reader idea was suggested by a staff teacher as a fun way to bring students together and get them thinking about Canadian authors. 

"Initially, we thought about just doing buddy reading," Lyons explained. "We try to find ways to do things school-wide. Instead of just buying the same book for every class, we thought this (mystery reader) would be a fun way to do it. Many of our older students would have known her (Lowerison-Brown) as a teacher and recognized her voice as she read the story."

The inaugural I Read Canadian Day celebrated for the first time on February 19 is dedicated to 'reading Canadian' and from year to year is expected to empower families, schools, libraries and organizations to host local activities by reading Canadian books.

Shown in the photos below are Sunbury West School students enjoying their first ever I Read Canadian Day on Feb. 19.