Where the Wild Things Are

There was a special day arranged for the 2nd grade students at Edmunds Elementary in December as they enjoyed a visit from a mass of volunteers from KPMG LLP, an audit, tax and advisory firm in Des Moines. The more than one dozen enthusiastic volunteers had an exciting morning planned, all revolving around the delight of reading. As the 2nd graders filed into the Edmunds library the group of volunteers handed out golden crowns to all – part of theme of the morning that included a live performance of the classic Children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are.” The enactment of the book was complete with drums, noisemakers and eager audience participation; the lead character in the story, “Max,” was decked out in a gorilla’s outfit creating quite a stir as he danced and gyrated all around the set. All of the volunteers interacted with the 2nd graders throughout the performance, with wild masks, wild dancing and wild acting.

After the performance, volunteers then staffed the library tables to read another book to the students, this time in a small group setting while the students enjoyed ‘monster’ cookies – complete with “Where the Wild Things Are” themed frosting! After the reading, the students received yet another gift – each going home with a pack of five classic children’s book to keep. Edmunds Principal Jaynette Rittman thanked KPMG for “a truly amazing experience, a fun-filled, high energy and highly motivated morning for the 2nd graders. They were mesmerized by the performance. It was well planned and gratefully received by all the students!