In conjunction with the February celebration of the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln, 19th Judicial Circuit judges will be among the many Illinois judges to deliver a program to grade school students, which originated with the popular children’s book by Martha Brenner, “Abe Lincoln’s Hat.”

This year, along with “Abe Lincoln’s Hat” there will be four additional books donated to the school library or classroom: “Escape North! The Story of Harriet Tubman” by Monica Kulling; “George Washington and the General’s Dog” by Frank Murphy; “I am Sonia Sotomayor (Ordinary People Change the World)” by Brad Meltzer; “Who Is Ketanji Brown Jackson?” by Shiela P. Moses and Who HQ.

A project of the Illinois Judges Association, the reading program is aimed at children in grades K-4 to encourage a love of reading. Judges dressed in their black robes will make classroom appearances, read a book and discuss its intersection with history and the law, according to a news release.

“Too many school children are not reading at grade level,” said the Honorable Mary Schostok, a justice of the Appellate Court, 2nd District, and former president of the Illinois Judges Association. “This reading deficiency affects student learning and contributes to the high school dropout rate. Our reading project is one small step, which we hope will inspire young students to appreciate the value of books as they learn a little about history and our system of justice directly from a sitting judge.”

The project is the latest in a series of community programs undertaken by the Illinois Judges Association, including the IJA’s Page It Forward reading and tutoring program.

Other IJA programs are “Courtroom in the Classroom,” a presentation that celebrates the U.S. Constitution; “7 Reasons to Leave the Party,” covering the legal and personal consequences of drinking and driving, taking drugs, and engaging in other unhealthy behaviors; “Worries of the World Wide Web,” a program created to address the increasing problem of cyberbullying, electronic harassment, and sexting/pornography and “Your Future, Your Choice,” educate the students about the justice system, how a case goes through the system, what’s the difference between the juvenile and the adult system and what are the crimes associated with the internet and social media.

To arrange for a judge to visit a Lake County classroom and read one of the books provided by the Illinois Judges Association and the Illinois Judges Foundation to students, email courtsoutreach@lakecountyil.gov. For information, visit the IJA website.