Characters created by Dr. Seuss have been in children’s lives since 1937 when the author’s first book was published. To celebrate his influence and the anniversary of his birth, the UNC Charlotte English Department and Park Road Books are co-sponsoring the seventh annual Seuss-a-thon on Saturday, March 3.
Free and open to children of all ages, this event will begin at 11 a.m. at Park Road Books in the Park Road Shopping Center (4139 Park Road).
At the Seuss-a-thon, local educators and literary advocates will participate in a four-hour marathon of reading Dr. Seuss books aloud to listeners. Dr. Seuss-themed crafts will be available for children throughout the event, and his books will be on sale for the day.
“As a long-time children’s literature professor, I am deeply committed to promoting literacy in our community, especially among our young people,” said Mark West, event organizer and chair of the Department of English.
“For this reason, I am a big supporter of the National Education Association’s Read Across America campaign, which celebrates and encourages reading and literacy,” said West. “One of my goals in organizing the Seuss-a-thon is to sponsor an event that contributes to this larger literacy campaign.”
The annual Seuss-a-thon takes place near the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, internationally known as Dr. Seuss, who was born on March 2, 1904. Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated 43 books before his death in September 1991 and is ranked ninth among best-selling fiction authors. In 1984, he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize “for his special contribution over nearly half a century to the education and enjoyment of America’s children and their parents.”
West said, “We invite people of all ages to come by and enjoy the books written by one of America’s most influential authors.”