Dr. Seuss Hits the Road to Promote Reading Across America

In 1998, the National Education Association created an event to celebrate the joy of reading. Held on March 2, Dr. Seuss’s birthday, the Read Across America was a nationwide event held in cities and towns across the nation, involving teachers, teenagers, librarians, politicians, actors, athletes, parents, grandparents, and others, to encourage the excitement of reading to children of all ages.

During the event each year, governors, mayors, and other elected officials issue proclamations and make speeches about the role reading plays in their communities. Athletes, actors, and other prominent figures issue reading challenges to young readers, and teachers and principals take part in hands-on activities to boost their students’ reading interests.

Last year the Read Across America program went mobile, loading up buses with books and other reading materials, and a Cat in the Hat character rode along to greet children at each stop. This year the "Cat-a-Van" tours took their message to the Gulf Coast on reading relief missions. Three tours stopped at school libraries in areas such as Mobile, AL, Jackson, MS, and Houston, TX—areas that were impacted by last fall’s hurricanes. Tours will culminate in the New Orleans area on March 2.

Children eagerly await the appearance of the Cat in the Hat, who leaps out of each Cat-a-Van to be greeted by cheering fans. The children jump wildly and wave, asking if the character really eats green eggs and ham, and telling him to tell Dr. Seuss Happy Birthday. The first day of this year’s tour took NEA officials, members of the Texas State Teachers Association, and local leaders to three schools, where they delivered donations and hundreds of books to excited children. Principals and teachers were enthusiastic about ideas and suggestions for boosting literacy, and eagerly welcomed donations of $1,000 per school to purchase book supplies.

The Read Across America Gulf Coast Tour this year traveled from Beaumont, TX, to Lafayette, LA, and many cities in between, where community leaders and children were equally enthusiastic and welcoming. The last few months of rebuilding from the devastating effects of hurricanes in the area have been emotionally and spiritually draining, but there is still humor, and hope. The Read Across America tour helps to encourage that hope, and their mission is accomplished when they eyes of hundreds of children light up as the Cat in the Hat enters the room. Teachers and education support professionals were overwhelmed by the monetary and book donations given by this year’s Cat-a-Van tours to the hurricane-ravaged areas of the Gulf Coast.

For more information about NEA’s Read Across America program and how you can participate, visit www.nea.org/readacross.