Jesus and Juan Ramón

We were scheduled to help with story time on Monday. Thankfully, I had brought a copy of Huevos verdes con jamón with me. And I'd practiced pronunciation with Lizz the weekend before. I was totally tickled that Sam-I-Am's name had been changed to Juan Ramón to rhyme with jamón. I didn't really know what we'd be doing in the school, but I figured it couldn't hurt to be prepared to read one of my favorites - just in case. So I don't speak Spanish. But I do speak Dr. Seuss.  

It was good I'd come prepared. When I walked into the first-grade classroom with Saul, 30-some bright, eager faces turned expectantly toward us. Saul ("Sa-ool") introduced me and I held up the book. I think I said something like "Conocer Huevos verdes con jamón?" Hands shot up all over the room.

Having exhausted my vocabulary, I plunged right in. I stumbled and mis-pronounced words, I'm sure. I'd stop and ask one of the children close to me how to say a word here and there. Gee, the book was longer than I remembered. A few kids started to get restless. A couple of nose-pickers were um, you know. But most were following right along and many even mouthed the words with me.

As soon as I finished, we served the kids their lunches (bowls of chicken, vegetables and pasta with a slice of bread) and then I helped Saul lead them in Bible songs. Then I figured we were done. But no! Two more classrooms! I thought the second- and third-graders would be too old but we didn't have another plan so just proceeded. They ate lunch while I read and bounced around to point out the action on each page. I'd like to think my pronunciation and dramatic interpretation improved with each reading.  It wasn't quite what I'd envisioned (I was thinking small group of preschoolers gathered in a circle) but somehow it worked.

A little Dr. Seuss. A Bible song or two. Jesus and Juan Ramón.