First-grade students from across the district attended a book launch event for the book Porter the Hoarder at Central High School’s theatre in early February. The Porter the Hoarder book series is a sequence of look-and-find books written by Sean Covel (producer of movies including the iconic independent film, Napoleon Dynamite) and illustrated by Rebecca Swift (artist and singer/songwriter who has appeared on American Idol).

The series follows the emotional rollercoaster of a snappy little girl named Porter. In book one of the series, Porter the Hoarder and the Ransacked Room, Porter must clean her room with the help of the reader and decide what stays and what gets thrown away. She has very strong opinions about both outcomes.

Every first grader in our district received a copy of the book thanks to the United Way’s Black Hills Reads program.