CASPER, Wyo. – Cat allergies are the worst.

There’s this one cat who – much to his dismay – is so incredibly cute and adorable that whoever looks at it explodes.

Fortunately, the offending adorbs cat named Fluffy McWhiskers is only fiction, but the book chronicling this poor kitty is catnip to thousands of Wyoming first-graders.

“Fluffy McWhiskers Cuteness Explosion” is one of 10 clever, colorful children’s books offered during the 2024 edition of the annual Wyoming Reads program. According to Natrona County Library’s youth service manager Jenn Becksted, it was by far the most popular chosen by students in advance. In fact, out of 6,800 first-graders in the state, 2,400 of them chose Mr. McWhiskers.

“We bought out our distributor and Amazon,” said Becksted, describing the book as a “fun mix illustrations and text.”

“It’s an exciting way to get them into the joy of reading,” she said.

Getting first-graders into reading is what Wyoming Reads is all about. Wyoming Literacy Day, which falls on the third Tuesday in May, brings together every first-grader in the county to the Natrona County Public Library, where students are read to by community volunteers, given reading-related gifts and books, and enjoy presentations at the nearby Nicolaysen Art Museum.

First Lady Jennie Gordon read to students during the first hour on Tuesday morning. Because of the soggy weather, students were shuttled indoors where they were given snacks, which usually takes place on the Nic’s lawn.

The program first created in 1996 by John Jorgensen, who wanted to honor his late wife Sue Jorgensen after she died in a car crash. Sue had been an advocate for literacy and reading much of her life. “She was always very dedicated to children and to literacy,” John is quoted as saying on the organization’s website. “She believed that until someone can read, they can’t really do anything else.”

The full list of books given this year to first-grade students can be found at the Wyoming Reads website.

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