Teddy bears, crayons, anteaters, sorcerers and wild things marched down Broad Street early Friday to top off a five-month reading program in Nevada City schools.

The eighth annual BEAR Parade - for Be Excited About Reading - brought together about 400 preschoolers, kindergartners and first- and second-graders from Nevada City and Gold Run elementary schools who have been working on their reading skills this year.

They dressed as characters in books including "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Where the Wild Things Are" and "Harold and the Purple Crayon."

Dave Ray-Iorns, owner of Nevada City Crystal and Glass, was master of ceremonies. He greeted many of the children by name and asked them about their costumes and the books they had read.

"The kids are just so excited about getting dressed up and parading," said Nevada City Elementary Principal Susie Barry, who introduced the BEAR concept to the district.

The parade evolved as a response to standardized state testing for young learners, Barry said.

"Each grade level has very specific skills to accomplish," Barry said. But the tests do not take into account the wide range of developmental differences in the very early grades, especially the differences between boys and girls in language skills.

Activities such as creating costumes, painting or drawing, putting on plays and even walking in a parade reach children with different learning styles and engage their imaginations and interest.

"We've got very experienced teachers who know how to accommodate the differences the kids bring in," Barry said.

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To contact staff writer Trina Kleist, e-mail trinak@theunion .com or call 477-4231.