read-a-saur-us Anyone with a gigantic, dinosaur sized love for good books!

Entering the Code:

Deep underground, in a bunker below READasaurus Lodge, lies the "READasaurus LIBratory." A wonderfully magical place to explore and read favorite books that celebrate art, creativity, the unknown and the artist in each of us! To unlock the Code, secrets are revealed throughout with the featured books in funny, moving and surprise moments.

From the hilarious Scaredy Squirrel's fear of the unknown, to the history and creative magic that is The Magic Tree House series, to the fantastic finale of The Art Lesson we celebrate the spirit of artists, inventors, writers, and the adventurer in us all. And the coolest part, each of your kids holds the secrets to make "Code Name: Readasaurus " work for them. (By reading, of course!)

celebrates reading, readers and great books in a fantastic new program by master READasaurus wrangler Mark Daniel. Mark's one of a kind, unique style has evolved over 24 years of READasaurus presentations for over 3 million children. A celebration of the joy of reading through storytelling, booktalking, puppetry, magic tricks and fun, all layered and interwoven a style that folks call delightful and many consider brilliant! Educators are often stunned as Mark takes groups of energetic, wiggly kids and through his gentle manner and folksy style, yet fast pace, has them within a few minutes listening and watching with rapt attention.

Join Mark, Steggie the Stegosaurus, and Hemi the Rabbit, as the Code is cracked in a magical tradition that are the hallmark of Mark's Programs That Bring Books Magically to Life! Mark and gang will lead your children on a romp through good books sharing the joy and celebration of reading that has become his passion and life's work. Mark would love to come visit with your students with this newest addition to the READasaurus series in a program bound to delight Bookworms and READasaurus throughout your school!

The marvelous happenings occur around a foundation of Great Children's Books within a fantastic stage setting. Add in awesome music and visuals, all presented by a folksy, joyful promoter of books who is Mark Daniel, magical storyteller. Sought after as one of the best in the country for his unique personality and pioneering brand of storytelling, he brings to your students a masters skills in group dynamics and fun. From bursts of laughter to the quite hush of high interest, Mark leads the charge for your students in celebrating the joy of reading.

Looking for the perfect assembly program to help your school focus on Reading and Literacy goals? You've found it, "Code Name Readasaurus" is a great way reinforce the fun and adventure of curling up with a good book; to motivate your kids to meet and exceed their reading goals; and celebrate your students' success!

If you've had your fill of bringing in authors and other speakers that while important educationally, just can't connect with your kids, please consider a presenter that's on time, on message, easy to work with, delivers, and has your students and faculty asking "when can we have Mark back." Twenty-four sold out school years stand as testament to making sure your precious assembly dollars are properly spent. And most importantly that you can hold your head high afterwards as you accept the kudos for a job well done for your work on the assembly or special event!

Amazingly,"Code Name Readasaurus"is the fourteenth original READasaurus! program created by Mark, specifically for elementary schools.

is approximately 45 minutes and is suitable for PK-5th grade. (Through years of experience Mark can skillfully present for a mixed grade range or even better yet, tailor to specific grade ranges for instance K-2 and 3-5 with excellent results.) The program incorporates terrific books, storytelling, puppetry, book talking, magic tricks, and audience participation, all blended artfully with the notion that we learn and are impacted on many different levels, many different ways. You will enjoy great books, tremendous fun, and more celebration of the joys of reading in a self-contained program with terrific music, an awesome sound system, and a fantastic stage set! Mark is renowned for his unique, gentle, respectful approach with children and considered by many as one of the best in the business. Folks often mention how he beautifully incorporates music to punctuate and stimulate throughout the performance.

is truly a memorable event for your children!

New for 2009-2010: Mark's incredible show sets continue with "Code Name Readasaurus". He is again collaborating with the terrific Chicago area illustrator and cartoonist Angel Contreras to create an exciting new look for this program. With a tip of the hat to the coolest "weird science" laboratories from our favorite movies, your children enter the performance area to discover the bunker "libratory" set- half lab/half library. Located deep under Readasaurus lodge, and looking so cool, that it makes you want to climb into the artwork and explore, or maybe pull a book down from the one of the curious bookshelves and become a READasaurus yourself. (Mark and Angel working together also designed the new "Code Name Readasaurus" logo with Steggie using the above ground emergency Libratory escape hatch to sneak out and READ!

• Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series is wildly popular year after year. In Code Name: READasaurus we join Jack and Annie in their romp though Mondays with a Mad Genius! With a quick look into the incredible life of daVinci, his creativity and inventions we set the stage for an amazing adventure with a miniature Magic Tree House which really is magical! And of course there's a huge surprise!
• Tomie dePaola's work has long been admired by Mark and his interpretation of Tomie's Legend of the Indian Paintbrush is a signature piece in his family night. In this new program Mark paints with The Art Lesson, a poignant true story of a young artist who dared to paint outside the lines and still does! The reading gives way to an moving and motivational finale to Code Name: READasaurus which reminds us we're all potentially diamonds, ready to sparkle!
• Steggie the Stegosaurus and Mark crack up your kids and themselves with the much loved and wackily hilarious Melanie Watt tale of dealing with the unknown, Scaredy Squirrel!
• Plus Hemi the rabbit and surprises galore!
• More great books that help your kids catch the READasaurus fever throughout the program!

Please click on your state for pricing. Please Note: There are never any additional travel fees or miscellaneous expenses added to Mark's fee. If your state is not listed, other areas are available by special arrangement. Just contact us using the link in the menu. Clicking on a state will open a new browser window so make sure you enable pop-ups for this site.

We are happy to customize Mark's appearance based on your needs. Drawing from the experience of thousands of performances, may we suggest that while we can accommodate any size group as your space allows, we have found that the perfect audience size for this program is up to 300 children per performance. If you have a larger student body, we suggest dividing them into smaller groups, as once Mark is on site, you receive a significant discount on additional programs. This ensures the best and most intimate theater experience for your children. By the way, many schools have Mark stay for a full day including daytime assemblies and an evening family night. Discounts are also available for block bookings in the same district or county. Plan ahead! Call Toll Free! 1-800-848-5634 to schedule an assembly program that will thrill and motivate your students, as well as please your faculty. You will enjoy a program that is literature-based and solidly educational, from a performer you can depend on. Mark and the gang are headed your way, and you will love what school after school has called their "best assembly program of the year." Mark looks forward to visiting YOU with