October is a time for pumpkins, monsters and candy for many children.

But for some students in Penns Valley, the star of the month was a tractor. Otis, to be exact, the main character in a children’s book of the same name that tells the story of the tractor and his friend, a cow calf.

Penns Valley elementary students read the book earlier this month as part of the national campaign Read for the Record, sponsored by Jumpstart and the Pearson Foundation.

The program is an annual celebration that aims to set a record for the largest shared reading experience as a way to highlight the need for quality early education, according to the Jumpstart website. Last year alone, more than 2 million people participated.

Penns Valley students joined the fun this year, reading about the friendship between Otis the tractor and the young calf.

District officials said on their website that it was all in the name of supporting Jumpstart’s mission: to work toward the day every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed.

After reading the book, students discussed its literary elements and took part in activities inspired by the reading. District officials said that the day culminated with students creating a mural of the setting and characters in the story.