Terrance Ferguson, Book Buddy Dazzle Students With a Dr. Seuss Favorite
by Jimmy Do | okcthunder.com
Her spunk and grin lit up the room all afternoon. She held the gaze of everyone inside with her prodigious performance.
Inside the school library, 6-year-old Lena read aloud the pages from Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham” dazzling her fellow students and especially her new reading friend, Terrance Ferguson.
“I got a partner from the crowd to read with me, which I really enjoyed. She helped me out a lot,” said Ferguson. “It was a fun day reading to the kids.”
On a Wednesday afternoon, the reading duo took turns reciting the Seuss favorite to 67 of Lena’s classmates at Timber Creek Elementary during a Reading Timeout, presented by American Fidelity.
What was supposed to be a read-aloud session felt more like a pre-show theatre warm up. To the delight of the audience, both Ferguson and Lena faithfully delivered the famous tale’s absurdist repartee between Sam-I-Am’s pesky nature and his stonewalling skeptic.
The affable Thunder rookie complemented the vivacious first-grader forging chemistry that breathed new life to a classic.
Timber Creek Elementary first grade teacher Cherri Carrothers took note of the lively interplay between Ferguson and Lena, which delivered a memorable afternoon for the kids.
“She reads extremely well for a first grader. She has a lot of personality,” said Carrothers. “She did great and he did great with her. It could not have been a better pairing.”
Ferguson's New Friend. Lena: "If they see me reading they might think well maybe tomorrow or tonight before I go to bed I might want to try to read that book and see if I can remember the words.” Photo by Jimmy Do | OKC Thunder
Do you like green eggs and ham? The students react to Ferguson's playful exchange with them. Photo by Jimmy Do | OKC Thunder
This is why we play. Carrothers: "Having somebody that’s a role model that they can look up to and see that he’s not only a professional basketball player, he also can read quite well." Photo by Jimmy Do | OKC Thunder
Down low, too slow. Before going home, Ferguson hands out Thunder goodies and high-fives to cap the day. Photo by Jimmy Do | OKC Thunder