BREWER – State Street Elementary School pupils barely could stay in their seats when Clifford the Big Red Dog came onstage pulling a red wagon full of donated Scholastic books.

Their eyes gleamed while they waved to Clifford, a well-known children’s book character, and cheered his name on Monday during an assembly with Maine’s first lady Karen Baldacci to kick off a statewide Read to Feed challenge.

“I am so proud of you for taking on this challenge,” Baldacci, a kindergarten teacher who once did her student teaching at a Brewer school, told a gathering of about 150 Brewer fourth- and fifth-graders.

The Maine Read to Feed effort is a partnership with Heifer International and Scholastic Publishers that challenges students to read books in order to feed hungry families around the globe.

The statewide challenge runs through June 30, 2006, and this year will focus on helping those in the Gulf Coast affected by the devastating hurricane season.

Pupils get sponsorships from family, friends and community members for each book they read, and the funds are used to purchase animals – a heifer, a goat, a flock of chickens or a llama – that are given to hungry families so they can support and feed themselves.

“This is a great thing for a great cause,” Emily Illingworth, 10, said to kick off the assembly.

Brewer’s fourth grade has participated in the international program for four years, Janet Nordfors, fourth-grade teacher and challenge coordinator, said Monday.

The school received “12 cases of books through Scholastic because we volunteered to do this event,” she said. “This is not just for State Street school – it’s for all the elementary schools across the state. We are leading the way.”

Each fourth- and fifth-grader in Brewer and other participating schools will receive a copy of the book “Beatrice’s Goat” by Page McBrier, which tells the story of a goat from Heifer International that changed the life of a little girl, her family and her entire community in Uganda, Africa.

The animals that Heifer International gives away are gifts that keep on giving, Jan West Schrock, Heifer International senior adviser and daughter of organization founder Dan West, said at the gathering.

“Every time some family gets an animal or training, they sign a contract to pass on [the animal’s] offspring or what they learned,” she said. “First you’re a recipient, and then you’re a donor.”

Passing on the gift allows one donation to multiply throughout the community, she said. Heifer International started its work in 1944 and has helped more than 7 million families become self-sufficient in 125 countries.

Several pupils who participated in the program last year spoke during the assembly, which was held at Brewer Middle School’s auditorium.

T.J. Leighton, 11, used his time at the podium to challenge his fellow classmates to read as much as possible and, in turn, raise as much as possible.

“Last year, my class had a goal of $500, but we raised $600 instead,” the red-headed boy said. “I challenge every class” to do the same.

To ensure all students across the state know of the challenge, the first lady is scheduled to be at Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta today for the second part of the statewide kickoff.

The Read to Feed challenge will teach children about world hunger and poverty, and it will give them a way to be part of the solution, Schrock said.

“Heifer has a dream where we have a world of peace, where everyone is educated, and they have enough to eat,” she said.

To learn about the Read to Feed program, go to http://readtofeed.org.