FLOTUS To Fly Into Connecticut

First Lady Laura Bush will be coming to Connecticut tomorrow to read with children at the Driggs Elementary School in Waterbury. Mrs. Bush will later in the day stop on by The Mark Twain House in Hartford.

Mrs. Bush who was in Connecticut back in April, is a strong supporter of The Big Read which is "a nationwide initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts." Four cities in Connecticut; Bridgeport, Waterbury, New Haven and Hartford are all partipants in The Big Read program.

Mrs. Bush's visit to The Mark Twain House comes as 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' will be part of the fall reading in The Big Read program selection.

According to the National Endowment for the Arts, The Big Read "answers a big need. Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, a 2004 report by the National Endowment for the Arts, found that not only is literary reading in America declining rapidly among all groups, but that the rate of decline has accelerated, especially among the young."

"The Big Read aims to address this crisis squarely and effectively. It provides citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities. The initiative includes innovative reading programs in selected cities and towns, comprehensive resources for discussing classic literature, an ambitious national publicity campaign, and an extensive Web site providing comprehensive information on authors and their works."

For More Information on The Big Read and how you can get involved visit their website at: http://www.neabigread.org/