POINT PLEASANT — On Thursday, schools across the state will celebrate Read to Me Day.

According to the West Virginia Library Commission, Read to Me Day coincides with West Virginia Children’s Book Week, which is the week of Nov. 15-21.

Mason County elementary schools will participate in the reading fun as well. Area schools have participated in Read to Me Day for many years, and on Thursday community leaders, elected officials, festival royalty and other volunteers will read to students across the county.

This year, AEP and Appalachian Power Employees will participate in the Read to Me Day festivities by telling more than 13,000 students the story of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing. According to a news release, a corps of 175 employee volunteers will fan out across the company’s West Virginia service area to read the book, Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 to elementary school students. The book was both written and illustrated by Brian Floca and tells the story of the historic space mission when man first landed on the moon.

“Participating in Read to Me Day has definitely become a company tradition and our employees really look forward to this day every year,” Jeri Matheney, Appalachian Power spokeswoman, said in a news release. “It is very rewarding for us to play a small role in conveying the importance of reading to area students, and doing so in a very fun way.”

According to a news release, AEP has participated in Read to Me Day since 2001, and has since donated more than 2,600 books to school libraries as well as read aloud to more than 125,000 students.

Mason County Schools set to take part in Read to Me Day include: Ashton Elementary School, Beale Elementary School, Leon Elementary School, New Haven Elementary School, Point Pleasant Primary School, Point Pleasant Intermediate School and Roosevelt Elementary School.