Celebrating the life and works of Dr. Seuss through Read Across America Day
By: Kevin Vickery
March 2nd is the birth date of my favorite author, Theodore Seuss Geisel, commonly known under the pen name, Dr. Seuss who was born in 1904 in Springfield Massachusetts. As a children’s author, illustrator, animator, and cartoonist, he is known for his work writing and illustrating more than 60 books. His work includes many of the most popular children’s books of all time, selling over 600 million copies and being translated into more than 20 languages by the time of his death in 1991 at 87 years old.
In 1998 the National Education Association, (NEA) partnered with Seuss Enterprises to form Read Across America Day as an initiative to encourage reading, especially among children. It has expanded into a year-long program with special celebrations in March as National Reading Month, with focus on the importance, value, and fun of reading and sharing diverse books.
Now known as Read Across America Week, celebrated from March 2nd through 6th the NEA aims to encourage reading and educate people about its benefits, especially among children and young adults. Events are organized across the nation to promote the same, all beginning on the birthday of the beloved author, Dr. Seuss whose whimsical tales and rhymes have since become central to the festivities, although the day encourages reading of all kinds.
Many of these events held by schools, libraries. organizations and communities nationwide are filled with reading events, character dress-ups, and a shared appreciation for the iconic stories that have charmed generations.
Dr. Seuss penned his first children’s book, “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” in 1937 before taking a brief hiatus During World War II, from children’s literature to illustrate political cartoons, and work in the animation and film department of the United States Army.
After the war, he returned to children’s books, writing acclaimed works such as “If I Ran the Zoo”, “Horton Hears a Who!”, “The Cat in the Hat”, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”, “Green Eggs and Ham”, “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”, “The Sneetches and Other Stories”, “The Lorax”, “The Butter Battle Book”, and, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”. His books have spawned numerous adaptations, including eleven television specials, five feature films, a Broadway musical, and four television series. My two daughters were particularly fond of, “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That” which aired on PBS-Kids when they were younger.
Theo Geisel has received two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Children’s Special and for Outstanding Animated Program. In 1984, he won a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.
A few more Dr. Seuss books have been posthumously released after old manuscripts and sketches found in Geisel s home have been completed by Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Random House Children’s Books, ensuring they align with the author’s original style and vision. These titles include: “My Many Colored Days”, “Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!”, “What Pet Should I Get?”, “Dr. Seuss’s Horse Museum” and “Sing the 50 United States!” which is scheduled release in June of 2026.
Even when adding these posthumous books to the Dr. Seuss bibliography his total number of works is still only around 70 which I thought seemed low. In researching for this piece, as a lifelong fan, I’m embarrassed to admit a mistake I’ve been making my whole life and maybe I’m not alone in this. I have confused many of the works written by children’s author, P.D. Eastman as books written by Dr. Seuss.
Eastman served alongside Geisel after being drafted into the Army and was assigned to the Signal Corps unit which Geisel headed. Eastman became a protégé and colleague of Geisel and wrote many books for children in his own distinct style. He also worked with the Dr. Seuss brand of Random House, and many of his works were in the Beginner Books series. His titles include: “Are You My Mother”, “Go, Dog, Go!”, “The Best Nest”, “Sam and the Firefly”, “Big Dog…Little Dog”, and “Red, Stop! Green, Go!” as well as many others.
I’m hoping that I’m not the only one who overlooked this detail in classic children’s literature, but it definitely explains why my collection of (what I thought were) Dr. Seuss books is much larger than is actually possible.
Either way, in my opinion the P.D. Eastman books are just as entertaining to read as the Dr. Seuss books of the same era and both were equally significant in my childhood reading adventures.
So this March remember that books have the magic to transport us to different worlds, spark imagination, and instill a lifelong love of learning. Read Across America Day also affectionately known as Dr. Seuss Day, celebrates this magic, inspiring children, and adults alike to pick up a book and delve into its wonders. Whether you celebrate it for a day, a week, a month or even year round you can’t go wrong because there’s never a bad time to celebrate Dr. Seuss.
You can even see, “Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, Live on Stage” at Clowes Memorial Hall on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis on April 2nd which is how I plan to wrap up my family’s March “Seuss-celebration”. From everything I’ve read about the show it looks to be fun and entertaining. Like the Cat in the Hat says himself, “It’s fun to have fun. But you have to know how.”
So whether you attend a local themed event, dress up like your favorite Dr. Seuss character, host a reading session, donate books or simply read with a child, thanks and happy reading!
To learn more about Read Across America go to the official website of the National Education Association at nea.org.
For more information about the legacy of Dr. Seuss or purchase books and other merchandise visit the following websites:
drseussenterprises.com
drseussfoundation.org
seussville.com
Make Some Noise 