Aymee Gandy, a Russellville baker, is a much-anticipated visitor to her mother’s fourth-grade class at Phil Campbell Elementary, visiting with the children, bringing special homemade treats she bakes herself and reading to them.

“Amy does a very good job reading to them, and the children love her,” explained Carol Fretwell. “When they know she’s scheduled to come, they’ll ask me about it every day, wanting to know when she’s going to be here. The kids pay very good attention to her. They hang on every word because they love the way she reads to them. She’s very animated.

“The treats, of course, are also very popular.”

March 7, for Read Across America Day, Gandy arrived with cupcakes made with homemade browned butter cake and caramel buttercream, topped with popcorn.

“I called them Hop on Pop Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes,” explained Gandy, “and ‘Hop on Pop’ is the Dr. Seuss book I read to them while there.”

Fretwell said Gandy also read to them the previous week, bringing “green eggs and ham” treats and reading the Dr. Seuss book of the same name.

Gandy said visiting the class is something she always looks forward to doing. “It’s a wonderful experience, and they are very attentive. They love cupcakes and other treats. It’s always a lot of fun. They’re such a sweet group of children.”