“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
—Dr. Seuss
Those lines are from one of Dr. Seuss’ well-known books, Oh, The Places You’ll Go. Many of you will get, or have gotten, that book as a graduation present, and it is just one of the several of the most popular children’s books of all time written by Dr. Seuss.
Theodor Seuss Geisel, known the world over as the beloved children’s book author, Dr. Seuss, was born March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. This coming Thursday March 2 marks what would be Dr. Seuss’ 113th birthday, and it is also Read Across America day!
In May 1997, a small reading task force at National Education Association (NEA) came up with a big idea. “Let’s create a day to celebrate reading,” the group decided. “We hold pep rallies to get kids excited about football. We assemble to remember that Character Counts. Why don’t we do something to get kids excited about reading? We’ll call it ‘NEA’s Read Across America’ and we’ll celebrate it on Dr. Seuss’ birthday.” And so was born on March 2, 1998, the largest celebration of reading this country has ever seen. Across the country, thousands of schools, libraries, bookstores and community centers participate by bringing together kids, teens, and books. In Fairfax, Vermont, the Little Academy Preschool will be hosting an in-school event while encouraging students to read at home and fill out a chart with the books they read. 
In Middlebury, the Vermont Bookshop will have a LIVE reenactment of The Lorax, a Dr. Seuss classic. Truffula Seeds will be given away for free! There are even events scheduled in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. California is having almost 50 events!
Check out Seussville, the publisher’s website, for more information and fun activities you can print.
And tell us, what’s YOUR favorite Dr. Seuss book?
