First Lady Ann LePage reads “Otis,” by Loren Long, to schoolchildren Thursday at Gilbert Elementary School in Augusta, as part of Jumpstart’s Read for the Record initiative.

Together with Jumpstart and the Pearson Foundation, Mrs. LePage will join children and adults across the country in attempting to set a new world record for the largest shared reading experience.

The event is part of a nationwide, early education awareness campaign that each fall focuses national attention on the importance of reading.