The students of Smithville elementary School got a visit from the First lady of Tennessee last Wednesday.

Crissy Haslam brought her “Read 20” program to SES in person, touring the school and reading Dr. Seuss to students in an effort to encourage them to read and enjoy more often.

Speaking to the local press after her visit, Haslam said that the importance of strong reading skills cannot be stressed enough.

"I think I've read a book to every child in the school in big groups at the gym and library," she said. "I have been talking to them about the importance of reading. Children need to be strong readers by the end of third grade. I talked to them about reading 20 minutes a day, and getting their parents to read to them 20 minutes a day. I talked to them about reading over the summer so they don't slide backward in their reading ability. I talked to them about how important it is to read to be ready for everything that comes later in life whether it's middle school, high school, college, or work. I asked them what they wanted to be when they grow up. It's really necessary to be a good reader for just about anything you're going to do in life."

Haslam plans to pay visits to all 95 counties in Tennessee to promote the Read 20 program.

“I am traveling all over the state,” she said. “I am trying to take my message to every county. I started a while back, and I have about 18 counties left to visit. It's a great thing to do. If you want to have a good day come to an elementary school. They will cheer you up,” the first lady concluded.