Today was Dr Seuss’s 112th birthday and was celebrated throughout most of the country as “Read Across America” Day.
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People everywhere—including celebrities, teachers, teenagers, librarians, politicians, actors, athletes, parents, grandparents, and even President Obama—spent part of the day reading to children, either in school or at the White House.
Dr Seuss, who was born Theodor Geisel on March 2, 1904, died on Sept. 24, 1991, after having written and illustrated 44 children’s books, including The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The books have been translated into more than 15 languages, and have sold more than 200 million copies.
His literary works have been the source of 11 children’s TV specials, a Broadway musical, and a few motion pictures. He has won two Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and the Pulitzer Prize.
Some schools and communities, including Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, are marking the day on Saturday, March 5. Read Across America is a reading awareness program created by the National Education Association in hopes of motivating children to celebrate reading.
