Grant Elementary first-grader Quinncy Allums and her dad, Kaderius, bent over a table in a bustling multipurpose room as they tackled a literacy activity together. Around them, families moved from station to station, exploring hands-on challenges that reinforced the joy of reading.

It was Grant Elementary’s PTA-sponsored literacy night which welcomed students and their families for an evening of fun and adventure, featuring local author Tim Brown. 

The goal was simple: bring families together around books and creativity, said Holly Hales, PTA president.

“We want to encourage students to read and have fun so we came up with different activities to engage them in literacy,” she said. 

Around the multipurpose room, families played literacy games and conquered challenges together.

“All the tables had copies of what they were doing so they could take those home and play again with their families,” Hales said.

Families could also take book lists by grade level as well as for adults, reading tips for students and strategies for making reading aloud more accessible.

Murray Public Library joined the event, offering information on library resources and upcoming activities. Librarians emphasized the importance of connecting school reading with community resources and lifelong learning.

The event’s featured guest was local author Tim Brown, who shared his books and spoke to students about creativity. Brown, who has spent decades in advertising, adapted his usual creativity workshops for the younger audience, focusing on imagination, curiosity and confidence.

His presentation was interactive, encouraging students to imagine flying skateboards and fun “what if” scenarios and bold ideas without fear of being wrong. 

“I raised my seven kids sitting around the table playing the ‘what if’ game. We’d ask, ‘what if’ questions like, ‘What if everyone would walk on their head?’ or ‘What if the rain came from the ground?’ and questions not to figure them out logically, but to expand their minds and spark their imaginations,” he said.

That game resulted in three books — “What if…You Ate a Taco?,” “What if…You Could Travel Anywhere?” and “What if…Every Room Was a Holiday?” — with “at least seven more” Brown wants to write. 

His message reinforced creativity isn’t limited to artists or writers, but it is part of everyday problem-solving.

“Being creative is a way to solve problems,” Brown told students. “Some people may think they’re not creative, but everybody has a creative brain. Creativity is thinking in a different way and being OK asking questions or trying something new. When you connect ideas using a certain pattern and maybe the next time you’ll use it for connecting other things together. You’re exploring different options. That's creativity.”

Hales said the message was appreciated.

“He had a great way of explaining that everybody can be creative and your creativity doesn’t have to look the same as someone else’s creativity,” she said.

Parents and grandparents appreciated the focus on family engagement. Monika Hansen, who attended with her grandchildren, said her hope was simple. She wants them “to continue to realize how important reading is” and supports reading together when they visit.

Allums said his daughter was really excited about getting new books, which all the students would take home that evening.

“I want her to be a better reader, being able to pronounce the words and have an understanding what book she’s reading,” he said. “It’s good the community cares about learning, it cares about reading. Seeing the camaraderie here is the best part.”

Hales said seeing families together was the highlight at literacy night.

“Everyone had a good time,” she said. “It was chaos, but in a good way.”