Read Across America
National Read Across America Day is celebrated every year on March 2nd, which is the birthday of American author Dr. Seuss. This is why it is also known as Dr. Seuss Day.
This is a day dedicated to encouraging children and young people to read, and motivating parents and teachers to help them do so. The day was created and is hosted annually by the National Education Association.
History of Read Across America
The idea of ??a special day to celebrate reading in the United States first came from a group of people at the National Education Association in 1997. They felt that it was important to instill the joys of reading in the young people of America, and make it a fun activity for them, instead of a chore. The idea gained traction, and the first Read Across America Day was then celebrated on March 2, 1998. It became a popular day among schools and libraries, and it has been commemorated every year since then.
Reading has also been proven to help young people improve their performance in school, which is why parents and teachers are also encouraged to participate on the day, by taking children to literary events or hosting special reading activities in class.
Why March 2nd?
This day was chosen to host Read Across America Day because it was the birthday of the famous author, Theodore Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. He was born on March 2, 1904, in Massachusetts, United States. Doctor Seuss was also a poet and cartoonist who wrote and illustrated over sixty books.
His most famous works include One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, Hop on Pop, and The Cat in the Hat.
Read Across America Celebration
Many schools, libraries, and hospitals have special events and activities lined up on this day. This includes group readings, inviting authors to come and read their books to children, and so on.
Young people are encouraged to make reading pledges, where they commit to reading a certain amount of books in the year, for special prizes. Schools will also host book fairs or have mobile libraries come around so students can pick new books to read.
The National Education Association has a website with resources to help teachers organize reading activities in their classrooms. Some schools choose to take it a step further and have Read Across America Week.
Book recommendations
Schools often have lists of books to read for each age group, which they believe will instill a love for reading in their students. Here are some of them:
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman
- The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
- The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
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