Barbara Bush celebrates 84th birthday by reading to children at Maine hospital named for her

Barbara Bush reads to Maine kids on 84th birthday

PORTLAND, Maine — Former first lady Barbara Bush has celebrated her 84th birthday by reading to children at the inpatient unit of the Portland hospital that bears her name.

Volunteers at The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center presented her on Monday with a book-shaped cake trimmed with 84 smiling faces.

Bush is a longtime promoter of family literacy. She and former President George H.W. Bush live in Houston but spend summers at their seaside home in Kennebunkport (ken-uh-BUHNK’-port), 35 miles south of Portland.