United ISD to Encourage the Importance of Reading with Dr. Seuss Birthday Activities
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Mar 2, 2017, Comments Off
Courtesy Veronica Cantu,
(Laredo, Texas)-What do the books, “The Cat in the Hat,” “Oh, the Places You Will Go,” and “Green Eggs and Ham” have in common? They were all written by famous children’s author Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), better known to many as “Dr. Seuss.”
According to the website, seussville.com, “The Cat in the Hat” helped revolutionize the way young children learned to read with its use of words and illustrations when it was first published as a beginner’s reader book in 1957.
“One of the reasons Dr. Seuss is so popular is because the themes from his books resonate with people of all ages,” said United ISD Lead Librarian Carmen Escamilla, who also heads the library at J.B. Alexander High School. “Dr. Seuss’ books deal with the joy and excitement of everyday situations and encourage us to look for adventure in our own lives.”
March 2, 2017 marks what would have been Dr. Seuss’ 113th birthday. Several years ago, the National Education Association (NEA) designated the day as “Read Across America Day” as a way for schools to commemorate the life of this much-loved children’s author and to celebrate the fun and value of reading.
United ISD Librarians would like to encourage all students to pick up a book and read, read, read. The goal of this month’s special designation is, after all, to bring a nation of readers together under one hat–the red and white stovepipe made famous by the Cat-in-the-Hat himself.
“It is important that we always encourage the importance of reading as it is a crucial factor in student academic achievement and lifelong success,” said Escamilla.
She added every school librarian at the elementary, middle and high school levels have coordinated various Dr. Seuss activities for students at their respective campuses. Each activity is all in celebration of Dr. Seuss and his contributions to literacy. Some of these special school activities include: hat, t-shirt and door decoration contests, photo booth with Dr. Seuss props, Dr. Seuss bingo during lunch times, reading picnics, “Oh, the Places You Will Go” essay contests, Book Character Dress Days, and much, much more.
