By Darragh Johnson and Justin Blum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, January 20, 2001 ; Page B01
Laura Bush tried on her new role as first lady yesterday, paying tribute to a group of authors at Constitution Hall and later admonishing a group of fourth-graders at a D.C. public school to turn off the TV and "read as much as you can."
"Today is truly a librarian's dream," the former teacher and librarian told the crowd at the first event, which was sponsored by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Not only would the entire day be devoted to books but, she said, "if anyone in the audience starts to get rowdy, I get to tell them to shut up."
Bush and children's author Angela Shelf Medearis then visited William Seaton Elementary School in the Shaw neighborhood of Northwest Washington. Bush gazed at a fish tank and admired a project on rain forests before stopping in at teacher Betty Woods's fourth-grade class -- selected because her students had read more books during a read-a-thon than any other class at the school.
Although the authors' salute was free and all the tickets had been distributed to GOP supporters, more than a third of Constitution Hall's 3,000 seats were empty when the event started a little after 10 a.m.
Backed by a painted mural of an Ivy League-looking library -- featuring books, urns, arched windows and busts of serious men -- President-elect Bush introduced his wife. "Her love for books is real," he said. "Her love for children is real. And my love for her is real."
Also on hand were Laura Bush's mother; Vice President-elect Cheney and his wife, Lynne; and Laura Bush's second-grade teacher from Texas, whose appearance drew a big "Awwwwww" from the crowd. The audience was dotted with women in furs and men in cowboy hats -- and at least one woman in a fur cowboy hat.
The soon-to-be-first-lady called the morning reception a tribute to "all of the people who have affected my life, and all of our lives: our great American authors." She launched into a historical perspective on the power of good writing, including Abraham Lincoln's assessment that anti-slavery author Harriet Beecher Stowe was "the little woman who made the big war."
Bush then brought the proceedings up to date by introducing the five writers she had invited to share the stage with her: historian Stephen Ambrose, mother-daughter mystery writers Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, essayist and critic Stanley Crouch and Texas novelist Stephen Harrigan.
Mary Higgins Clark emphasized that she has "never used explicit sex or violence" in her work. She said that the "sexiest words written this century" were (and here she paused dramatically and deepened her voice): "You'll not shut me out of your bedroom tonight, my dear."
Bush still had the demeanor of a supportive schoolteacher keeping order at the front of the class. As the authors read from their works, she sat nearby on the stage, leaning back in her chair, holding her hands in her lap and smiling encouragingly.
At Seaton Elementary, a three-story tan brick school with 449 students, Bush and Medearis were joined by Roderick R. Paige, the education secretary-designate; D.C. School Superintendent Paul L. Vance; and Diane Simmons Williams, wife of D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D).
The 24 fourth-graders Bush spoke to sat on the floor of their classroom, which included a smiling picture of George W. Bush taped to the blackboard.
"Be sure to read as much as you can," Bush told the students. "In fact, turn off the TV. . . . Reading is good exercise for your brain."
Medearis read several stories to the children, and they joined in, voicing sound effects.
After the reading, the students fired questions at the president-elect's wife.
One asked if she was excited about the inauguration. (Answer: Yes.) Another wanted to know if she was rich. (Answer: Inaudible.) And a third pointed to an image in an inaugural coloring book and asked if it was her. (Answer: Yes, but her hair is done a little differently now.)
Student James Roberson, 9, asked the most amusing question: "Do you know Al Gore?"
When Bush said yes, James shot back: "If you see him, tell him I said hello."
After Bush's nearly hour-long visit, several students said they were impressed. "It was a really great experience for me," said Laquan Lightfoot, 11, one of two students who guided Bush through the school. "It was amazing."
Principal Willie Lamb said he was pleased to showcase the school's efforts. "We're working very hard in reading," he said. "It's very encouraging."
