At Mack Benn Jr. Elementary School, Mother Goose had the undivided attention of Melissa Couther’s kindergarten class and the Chick-fil-A cow.

The individual in the cow costume was an obvious giveaway: Nancy O’Berry — known as Mother Goose on Tuesday — was from the restaurant’s North Main Street location.

With her voice climbing up and down the register as she read “The Big Bunny and Easter Eggs,” only O’Berry’s facial expressions could divert the students’ attention from Janet Stevens’ illustrations.

“Think about how Wilbur solved his problems,” she told the students at the end of the book, which tells about how the Easter Bunny, after getting sick and almost missing his deliveries, was eventually able to rise to the challenge.

“When you are working on your lesson, I want you to remember to work together,” she added.

O’Berry was one of more than a dozen guest readers at Mack Benn’s daylong Read-A-Thon on Tuesday. The event promotes reading and literacy, said reading specialist Freda Cason, one of the organizers.

Mack Benn is state-accredited with warning in reading.

“Once or twice a year, we have read-a-thons to encourage children to read for fluency, comprehension and pleasure,” Cason said.

Students’ favorite books were selected for the event, and both school staff and the guest readers came dressed as some of their favorite characters.

According to Cason, it’s all about making reading fun and exposing the children to their supporters in the community.

Other guest readers were to include school district Superintendent Deran Whitney and Deputy Superintendent Jacqueline Chavis, and School Board members David Mitnick and Linda Bouchard.

Lisa Rath, the district’s English instructional specialist, planned to read “Yertle the Turtle” and “The Cat in the Hat Comes Back.”

“I think it’s absolutely phenomenal to bring the community in,” Rath said.

Lisa O’Donnell, who trains the district’s teachers in a phonetics program, was getting ready to read “Wacky Wednesday, “Red Riding Hood Races the Big Bad Wolf” — which broaches disability awareness — and others.

“The more you read, the more exposure they get to the letter sounds,” O’Donnell said. “They get to hear the proper sound formation, and they get to hear the tone.”

The focus on reading was set to continue into the evening, with students and parents invited to an Olympic Reading Carnival.

“We need to foster love of reading at an early age,” Cason said.