Students at Quinn Elementary had Bar-ba-loots, Swomee Swans and Truffula trees on their minds during Literacy Night.

James M. Quinn Elementary School joined in the nationwide celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday with its fourth annual Literacy Night on March 3, the day after what would have been author Theodor Seuss Geisel’s 112th birthday.

The event, which coincided with World Book Day, a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and reading, had more than 140 students sign up to attend. World Book Day is the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.

“This has quickly become a tradition,” said Principal Colin Grimsey. “Everyone looks forward to it and all of the help is greatly appreciated.”

The night featured a photo booth, pictures with a green screen, the Scholastic Book Fair and various stations inspired by the stories created by Dr. Seuss.

Literacy coach Carolyn Soares began this event four years ago in celebration of Seuss’ birthday.

“It’s a great way to engage families,” said Soares. “It’s also a nice way to get the staff to work together. It really builds a community.”

The night also featured an iMovie displaying the newly initiated “Reader’s Workshop,” which is being piloted in two of the kindergarten classrooms and three of the first grade classrooms at Quinn. The program provides a different approach to teaching reading and give students the inspiration to read more.

“The kids absolutely love it,” said Soares. “The hope is that more people will become involved in this.”

The workshop teaches new reading strategies, such as beginning with a mini lesson, and then allowing the students to read on their own before coming together as a group to peer conference. The theme of the workshop is “Super Readers,” prompting students to take a picture with a superhero backdrop on the green screen.

Another Quinn initiative was on display, “Handwriting Without Tears.” The program, which has been part of the curriculum at Quinn for three years, teaches students handwriting skills such as cursive and how to hold a pencil.

“The ‘Mat Man’ that we use in the classroom was turned into the ‘Cat in the Hat’ this week for Dr. Seuss’ birthday,” said Occupational Therapy Specialist Kathleen Baldwin. “It’s been really successful and focuses on fine motor control.”

According to Baldwin, “Keyboarding Without Tears” was first introduced this year to assist students with learning how to type.

As for the Seussian celebration, the most popular stops were the Lorax planting station and the “Oobleck” station. The students were able to plant green bean seeds in a cup at the Lorax station, which was inspired by the book “The Lorax.” The story warns readers about the danger corporate greed poses on nature. The “Oobleck” station was inspired by the book “Bartholomew and the Oobleck.” In the story, a young boy rescues his kingdom from green goop.

“I like the Lorax station because everything grows,” said second grader Elena Sobran, who is the number one reader in her grade.

“I’m so excited,” said Assistant Principal Stephanie Yermalovich. “It’s an amazing way to promote literacy for the students.”