The Cat and the Hat.

Green Eggs and Ham.

I Can Read with my Eyes Shut.

There’s a Wocket in my Pocket!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

My children and I love to read books by Dr. Seuss! Seuss must have had a brilliant imagination to create the unforgettable characters and places in his many books. His books are some of my family’s favorites to read over and over again.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, wrote more than 60 books for children during his lifetime, 44 of which he also illustrated. His first published children’s book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was printed in 1937. His last book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, was published in 1990, the year before his death. Several of his books, including Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!, Daisy-Head Mayzie and My Many Colored Days, were published after his death. His imaginative, rhyming stories have inspired a love of reading in children for many years.

Dr. Seuss’s birthday, March 2, is now celebrated as National Read Across America Day, a reading initiative through the National Education Association. This Friday, grab a few of your favorite Dr. Seuss titles and join in the celebration by reading with your children. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.”

Here are a few other fun ideas for celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday:

• Make green eggs and ham for breakfast. Wisk two or three drops of blue food coloring into eggs and scramble with diced ham. Read Green Eggs and Ham.
• Go outside and explore shadows on a sunny day. Take pictures of your child’s shadow in different poses or go on a shape hunt and find shadows in interesting shapes. Read The Shape of Me and Other Stuff.
• Wear crazy socks. Read Fox in Socks.
• Turn the clock upside down. Flip the calendar to the wrong month. Rearrange a few things in your house. See how many of the “wacky” things the kids can find! Read Wacky Wednesday.
• Visit www.seussville.com for games and activities.