COCOLALLA — Animals, fairytale characters and historic figures came to life last week as the halls of Southside Elementary were transformed into a living storybook wax museum.

Guests walked through the halls, using their foot to push a “button” on the floor that would initiate the figures — Southside students actually — who would then give a brief description of who or what they were representing.

“I can come in all colors — pink, yellow, blue or purple,” said Grace Huebner, though the youngster had white tentacles streaming from the lace covered hat that made an ideal octopus costume for the storybook wax museum event.

The youngest of the students, in kindergarten and first grade, donned representations from the Museum of Natural History, with creative costumes representing different animals and sea creatures such as the wolf, elk, bobcat, octopus, starfish, jellyfish and more. Students in second and third grade took on fantasy, fairy tales and American history, representing characters such as Little Red Riding Hood, as well as several historic American presidents and first ladies. Francis Cleveland, Helen Taft and Rosalynn Carter were just a few of the first ladies lining the hallways to talk about their lives and place in history. One young lady, for example, dressed in true Rosalynn Carter fashion in a blue blazer and pearl necklace, explained that she and her husband, 39th president Jimmy Carter, started the Carter Center for Mental Health.

“I would like to be remembered as an advocate for mental health,” she said. “Did you know that I am still alive and I am 91 years old?”

For the older kids in grades four through six, explorers, inventors and world history was the theme. Thomas Edison, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Christopher Columbus were just a few of the historic figures in the final museum event of the night. Aspen Ames, who chose to represent Margaret Morse Nice, said she is famous as a bird scientist and zoologist. Nice was a “very bright person,” Aspen said, and she was impressed by how much Nice had learned about birds from studying them for so many years.

In the second year of the storybook wax museum at Southside, with 79 of the school’s approximately 140 students participating in the Jan. 29 event.

“It was brought back by popular demand,” said Southside Principal Jacque Johnson.

In addition, 228 family and community members gathered in the halls to see what the students learned and, of course, check out the costumes. Southside librarian Lynette Leonard said the kids started working on their projects in December, researching their animal, historic person or fictional character. Then they wrote a paper, made a poster board presentation and dressed as their chosen person or animal for the storybook wax museum event.

“It’s a big project to just teach them how to do research ... I just love the creativity,” Leonard added as she looked around at the youngsters in their costumes.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.