Melissa Wharton
Northeast News

Kids and parents gathered at Garfield Elementary on Wednesday evening to explore literacy and, of course, eat candy.

At the school’s first annual Trunk or Treat Reading Village, families themed their trunks and costumes to different children’s books. Themes included  Where the Wild Things Are, Harry Potter, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Cat in the Hat.

“This is the first time we’ve done this event, but I think it’s going great,” said Principal Doug White. “I think we’re very pleased with the turnout. This was our way of combining the excitement of Halloween with the educational aspect of reading and literacy.”

The event was part of Garfield’s involvement in My Very Own Library, a literacy effort through United Way of Greater Kansas City. The program provides free books for children in high-poverty areas through free Scholastic Book Fairs and distributed more than 24,700 books to students in seven schools in the Kansas City School District last year.