BELLE, W.Va. — Belle Elementary School students had a special guest in their classroom on Tuesday morning.
West Virginia University play-by-play broadcaster Tony Caridi read his new book, Watch Where You Put Your Feet Down, to the students. Caridi is visiting six different schools this week, beginning with Sutton Elementary in Braxton County and Stanaford Elementary in Raleigh County on Monday.
Other stops include Milton Elementary in Cabell County, Blennerhasset Elementary in Wood County, and Brookhaven Elementary in Monongalia County.
“The inspiration for the book is kind of a continuation of where I left off several years ago,” Caridi said. “I got involved with the Read Aloud program and really used to enjoy reading to students in Morgantown, and that led to me writing my first book and had such success and fun doing that.”
Caridi’s debut book, Where, Oh Where, Oh Where, Could We Go? Traveling West Virginia High and Low, featured several different locations across the Mountain State. He said it made perfect sense to write another book.
“The opportunity came up through a partnership with GoMart,” Caridi said. “I wrote the second book and GoMart, to their credit, is donating 17,000 of these books, giving one to every first grader in our state.”
Caridi said it’s a great mixture of highlighting West Virginia and promoting literacy.
“To me, it’s a win-win scenario,” Caridi said. “The book contains a lot of information about touring West Virginia, couple that with getting the books in the hands of young readers. I think it’s just a great, great partnership and a great way to do this.”
The skill of reading can do wonders for a child, Caridi said, opening up many different avenues for their lives.
“I think reading can become a superpower for everyone,” Caridi said. “If you really introduce reading to young people and they get a hold of that at an early age, then literally, the sky is the limit for what they can take in, what they can learn, and the knowledge base that they deliver.”