The National Education Association's Read Across America is an annual reading motivation
and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on
March 2, the birthday of beloved children's author Dr. Seuss. It was born on March 2, 1998,
the largest celebration of reading this country has ever seen.
Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children,
Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four
generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he
helped millions of children learn to read.
Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Seuss Geisel in Springfield,
Massachusetts, on March 2, 1904. After graduating from
Dartmouth College in 1925, he went to Oxford University,
intending to acquire a doctorate in literature.
Geisel developed the idea for his first children's book
in 1936 while on a vacation cruise. The rhythm of the ship's
engine drove the cadence to And to Think That I Saw It on
Mulberry Street.
Happy
birthday
Dr. Seuss!
'The Cat in the Hat' is born
In May of 1954, Life published a report on illiteracy
among schoolchildren, suggesting that children were
having trouble reading because their books were boring.
This problem inspired Geisel's publisher, prompting him
to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important
for children to learn. The publisher asked Geisel to cut the
list to 250 words and use them to write an entertaining
children's book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 225 of
the words given to him, published The Cat in the Hat, which
brought instant success.
While Theodor Geisel died on September 24, 1991, Dr.
Seuss lives on, inspiring generations of children of all ages to
explore the joys of reading.
(Courtesy of Random House)
Source: NEA.org
38 • Off icial Kids Mag • MARCH & APRIL 2018
