ORANGE PARK – Dr. Seuss Day, also known as National Read Across America Day, is for children to appreciate the joy of reading and to have fun doing a lot of it.

Dr. Seuss is a famous and beloved children’s author. He wrote many fun and funny stories, and he did all his illustrations, making the stories even more humorous and fun. His illustrations are so unique almost anyone in America can immediately identify who did them. So, it was such a natural choice his iconic books were selected to represent Read Across America, a nationwide initiative to encourage reading in children. It was celebrated on March 2, Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

In Clay County, Read Across America Day was celebrated at the oldest elementary school, Orange Park Elementary.

Media Specialist Karen Walker created a reading event for children by inviting some special readers to the Library/Media Center, like Superintendent David Brosky. It also included School Board Chairwoman Mary Bola and Linda Stapleton, a retired Physical Education teacher. Others, too, provided readings for the kids, including a police officer, a nurse and others.

They not only read stories to the kids, but they also shared their own stories about reading and sometimes the struggles they had with it. Some teachers celebrated individually in their classrooms with reading-related activities. In organizing this event, Walker was helped by her two trusty assistants, Media Tech Abby Castillo and Volunteer Extraordinaire Shannon Bray. Castillo was recently recognized as the District’s School-Related Employee of the Year.

In 1997, an organization known as the National Education Association pushed for a special day to celebrate reading throughout the United States. The idea was so popular that it was not long before the first Read Across America Day took place on March 2, 1998. This nationwide observance coincides with the March 2 birthday of Dr. Seuss, whose beloved stories and books had titles such as “Green Eggs and Ham,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “The Cat in the Hat.”

Seuss’s stories have brought joy to American children and children worldwide.

The NEA represents about 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers. It provides resources and activities for educators, parents and children.