The North Bergen Free Public Library held their “Seuss-ical Celebration!” on Friday, March 1 in honor of the National Education Association’s “Read Across America” and children’s author Dr. Seuss’s 109th birthday.
The children’s rendition of “Happy Birthday” to Dr. Seuss ended with a shower of balloons falling from the ceiling. There were three special guests costumed as characters from Dr. Seuss books, “Thing 1,” “Thing 2” and “The Cat in the Hat.”
Much like “Simon Says,” children played “Cat in the Hat Says.” In honor of “The Cat in the Hat,” Business Manager Tracey Rivera began reading his Dr. Seuss book, and Mayor Nicholas Sacco, who is also assistant superintendent of schools, read another Seuss book, entertaining children ages 11 and under with Dr. Seuss’s “Hop on Pop.”
Mayor Sacco interacted with the children by playing out scenes within “Hop on Pop,” getting them to walk and jump. Sacco said he took an interest in the Dr. Seuss celebration because as assistant superintendent of schools he knows the importance of literacy.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know.” – Dr. Seuss
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Children had nearly a hundred of Dr. Seuss books to read during the celebration, which was outfitted with a bouncy house, cotton candy, games and goodie bags. According to Children’s Librarian Krista Welz, by the end of the night almost all of Dr. Seuss’s books were checked out.
“Read-along books should be interactive, and the mayor demonstrated this,” said Welz. “It was a fantastic way to inspire children to read.”
Reading nationwide
National Education Association’s (NEA’s) “Read Across America Day” is a nationwide reading celebration which takes place annually on or around March 2 for Dr. Seuss’s birthday. NEA’s “Read Across America” program was launched in 1997 that focuses on the importance of motivating young generations to read.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know,” said Dr. Seuss in “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!” “The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Is there a doctor in the house?
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Mass. In 1928, he began using the name Dr. Seuss which was the introduction to an illustrious wacky career as a children’s author. He was often asked how he easily wrote for children since he never became a father. His response was, “You make ‘em. I’ll amuse ‘em.”
Dr. Seuss books have been passed down from one generation to the next, which is why it’s easy to understand why his 109th birthday was celebrated.
“I like ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ because in the end, the character takes a bite of green eggs and ham and finds out that he really does like them,” exclaimed 4-year-old Leonardo.
“I like ‘The Cat in the Hat’ because the cat was nice and helped Sally and her brother clean the house before their mom got home,” said 4-year-old Alisa.
“I like ‘Hop on Pop’ because I liked when the mayor asked us to hop with him,” said 5-year-old Ilenia.
“I like “I Wish I Had Duck Feet” because a little boy tries on different animal body parts, like duck feet, and looks silly,” said 6-year-old Nazario. “But then he realizes he’s happy just being himself.”
Vanessa Cruz can be reached at vcruz@hudsonreporter.com