One lion, no tigers, no bears -- but oh my!
There was Dorothy and the Wizard and a yellow brick road stretching around St. Jane Frances School in Riviera Beach yesterday.
In celebration of National Children's Book Week, the school staff donned Wizard of Oz costumes and the children dressed as characters from their favorite books.
Most of the 517 students gladly traded in their navy and white school uniforms for a chance to become Pippi Longstocking and her upswept braids or Pinocchio with his rosy cheeks. If only for a day.
"They seem excited," said Cindy Wieland of her second-grade students. "They're trying to guess who's who."
One fourth-grade class declared that 9-year-old Cory Harvey had the best costume -- Pinocchio in his truthful days -- and they even offered a suggestion on how he could remedy his shortcoming.
"Tell a lie! Tell a lie!" they urged him.
The Babysitter Club series and the American Girl series of books proved popular with the older children, but others stuck with classics such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Robin Hood," and modern favorites such as "Jurassic Park."
"When I was in school we never did things like this," said Assistant Principal Renee Hammond -- aka the Tin Man. "I think dressing up with a theme allows students to express their creativity and lets them show their enthusiasm for their favorite characters."
For Sara Kelly, the enthusiasm was evident in her hair.
"I took coat hangers and hooked them around a headband and basically braided around the hanger," said the 12-year-old student who transformed herself into Pippi Longstocking.
Sara said she likes the character because "she's adventurous and daring," but she noted that she could not quite match Pippi's zest.
"I was going to die my hair orange, but I didn't have time," she said.
The Wizard of Oz theme went beyond mere attire. A corner of the school was set aside for a miniature hot air balloon, a tiny house perched atop two stuffed and curled socks and a very green Emerald City.
And the yellow brick road was well traveled. Paper footprints by the hundreds covered the road's surface, each carrying the name of a student, the title of the student's favorite book and the author.
In addition to yesterday's costume party, the children will participate in Stop, Drop and Read, a 15-minute silent reading period at the end of each day.
Prekindergarten students will listen during the week to parent volunteers and their fourth- through eighth-grade prayer partners as they read to classes and individuals.
Some of the older children also are making book jackets as gifts for their younger friends.
The week will end with a performance of "The Secret Garden" from the Baltimore-based Children's Theatre Association.
Matthew August, who came to school as the Cat in the Hat, noted another advantage of yesterday's activities.
"You don't have to wear the uniform," he said with a Seuss-like grin.