March into Reading


Charles Dickens: "It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold; when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade." from Great Expectations


No one who has grown up in the last 50 years can imagine their childhood without the wonderfully zany images and poetically comic verses of Theodor Seuss Geisel, according to the Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield, MA.

Would any of us want to live in a world without Thing One or Two, Cat in the Hat, Horton, Yertle or even the Grinch? I think not.

Dr. Seuss (then known as Theodor Geisel) was born March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. A biography, Children's Storytellers/ Dr. Seuss, by Kari Schuetz shares these interesting facts:

> As a child, Ted enjoyed reading comics, especially Krazy Kat.
> He attended two prestigious schools - Dartmouth College and Oxford University. While editing the Dartmouth College magazine, Ted first used the pseudonym Dr. Seuss.
> After college, he drew political cartoons.
> His first published book (1937) was And To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street. His later book (1960) Green Eggs and Ham (a personal favorite) has only 50 words.
> Dr. Seuss' personal beliefs are often found in his books. For example, in The Lorax, he stressed the importance of caring about nature.
> In 1984, Dr. Seuss won a special Pulitzer Prize for his effect on reading.
> Dr. Seuss died on September 24, 1991.
> What Pet Should I Get? was published in 2015 after his wife discovered the manuscript in a box. 

Celebrate all things Dr. Seuss on March 2.

Other celebrations in March: Irish-American Heritage Month, Music in Our Schools Month, Expanding Girls' Horizons in Science & Engineering Month, National Craft Month, Small Press Month and Women's History Month.

Enjoy new books by J.K. Rowling, Joan Didion, James Patterson, Lisa See, Peter Heller, Greg Iles, Dan Chaon, C.J. Box, Jacqueline Winspear, Clive Cussler, Kim Stanley Robinson, Lisa Feldman Barrett, Sid Luft, and Melissa Maker who will help us clean and love our houses in time for spring. 


                                     March Days

1-7     National Ghostwriters' Week
1-7     National Write a Letter of Appreciation Week

2        Dr. Seuss Day
          World Book Day

4        World Grammar Day

5-11   National Words Matter Week
          Return Borrowed Books Week

6        Oreo Cookie Day

8        Womens' Day
          Girls Write Now
          National Proofreading Day

10      Middle Name Pride Day (to my sisters & cousins - let's applaud being Anns)

11      Genealogy Day

13      Napping Day (curl up with The Napping House by Audrey & Don Wood)

14      Pi Day  3.14159265...

15      Ides of March - beware

16      Freedom of Information Day

17      St. Patrick's Day

19-25 World Folktales & Fables Week

20      World Storytelling Day

20-26 Act Happy Week

21      National Common Courtesy Day

24-26 American Crosswords Puzzles Week

25      Tolkien Reading Day - Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit

29      Manatee Appreciation Day

30      Pencil Day (check out Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter by David Sax)

                                       * * * * *


"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." Dr. Seuss

                                      * * * * *
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Read With Enthusiasm. It's easy. Look for follow by email at the top right corner of the blog. Submit your email address. You'll receive a follow-up email to activate your subscription. Thank you.