CHILDREN TELL OF THEIR LOVE FOR READING AS YELL NEWSPAPERS HIT THE STREETS TODAY

Carissa Patridge may be sitting in her class at Washington Elementary School when she reads, but books allow her to go to a whole different world, she says.

Carissa and other students in the fourth-grade class taught by Janet Brase talked Monday about their love of reading. The students are among thousands who benefit annually from the sale of the YELL edition, which will be hawked on street corners today, YELL Day, beginning at 6:30 a.m.

The paper, available for a minimum donation of $2, is the major fund raiser for the YELL Foundation, which funds literacy programs throughout the area.

One of those programs is the Southeast Missourian's Newspapers in Education program, and Washington Elementary School is one of 33 area schools that get newspapers from the program. Last year a YELL Foundation grant of $28,700 paid for about half the cost of providing newspapers in the classrooms.

YELL stands for Youth Education Literacy Learning. Money from last year's sale of YELL papers, which raised a total of $44,000, also provided books, reading aids and literacy computer software for schools and libraries, and reading programs in Cape Girardeau and Scott City.

Brase's students are proof that reading can be a joy. All were anxious to share reasons why they like reading and the names of their favorite books.

"I like to read to find out facts about things like animals and science," said Brian Williams. Derrick Williams likes to read the sports section of the newspaper. Bethany Newton favors books about horses.

"I like realistic fiction," said Andy Scheibe, whose favorite book is "White Fang" by Jack London. Jonathan Varvil enjoys mystery books like "The Mystery of the Haunted House."

Books in the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine are favorites of Demetrius Willis, Cody Eaves, Brooke Lampher, Adrian Cox and Brandon Bierschwal. Harley Braswell likes "Rumplestiltskin." "Amelia Bedelia" is the favorite of Sirena Irving, and Taylor King likes "Encyclopedia Brown." Terelle Hobbs is hooked on the WWF series and Paige Bomar likes "Ribsy," a book about a lost dog.