‘Honey lady' Cathie Skove visits Little Sprouts

Newton - Cathie Skove, the “honey lady,” was recently a celebrity reader at the Little Sprouts Day Care Center, operated by Project Self-Sufficiency in Newton. Dressed as a bee, Skove was greeted by her audience of three- to five-year old kids as she arrived to read and visit with the children. “Books, babies and bees are three of my favorite things,” commented Skove after her visit ended. “These children are so adorable and eager to learn. It was a real pleasure to spend time reading and talking with them today about bees.” Following her reading of several bee-related books, Skove passed around samples of beeswax to the children and showed a mini hive to the enthralled group. The children were then treated to a taste of honey harvested from Skove’s own beehives. The celebrity reader series began in October 2002 as a way for local celebrities and strong role models from the community to share their love of reading with families participating in the Even Start program and children enrolled at Little Sprouts. Project Self-Sufficiency has hosted numerous celebrity readers over the past three years, including Yvonne Coates, manager of Greene’s Beans Coffee Shop in Sparta, and Tracey Ivaldi, personnel manager of Perona Farms in Andover. Project Self-Sufficiency is a nonprofit social service agency serving single parents, teen parents and displaced homemakers in Sussex County. For information, call 973-383-5129.