(Vanessa Evans-Yahoo) Beloved children's author Dr. Seuss (born Theodor Geisel) would have celebrated his 107th birthday on Wednesday. In honor of his work and to foster the love of reading in children, the National Education Association will host the 14th annual Read Across America celebration. The NEA created the event in 1998, choosing to host it on Dr. Seuss' birthday given the author's universal childhood appeal.
Read Across America Day each year is usually packed with events hosted by the nation's local schools and libraries. This year is no exception, as a reading pledge drive is underway nationwide. First lady Michelle Obama is also reportedly getting into the spirit of the event, making a scheduled appearance at the Library of Congress to read Seuss' classic "Green Eggs and Ham" on Wednesday. She is expected to be joined by both NEA President Dennis Van Roekel and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for the reading.
The official website for all things Seuss has gotten ready for the big day as well, encouraging parents, children and educators to join in with Read Across America and giving lots of tools and tips that are meant to encourage children's love of reading. The NEA is also offering various resources to accomplish this goal as well.
The first lady and her co-hosts are scheduled to be joined by several celebrities, including Jessica Alba and Padma Lakshmi, among others, who will also be reading some of their favorite books to the hundreds of children expected to be in attendance at the event. This marks a repeat appearance by the first lady at the
Library of Congress' Read Across America activities due to the popularity of her first performances.
If you are of an off-beat frame of mind and want to celebrate Dr. Seuss in a less-traditional way than by attending an event or re-reading one of his classic books, you might want to try finding a copy of "5000
Fingers of Dr. T.," a film that Seuss not only wrote the screenplay for but also contributed lyrics to. Seuss himself was reportedly never happy with it, but it may make for interesting viewing for those who don't have children and therefore aren't up for watching any of the cartoons or TV shows that feature Seuss' better-known works.
*This is what makes reading fun! Celebrating and promoting reading is the best thing we can do for our youth in America at this very moment. It definitely shines the light on how fun reading truly is with the "First Lady" and all.*
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