The party not only honored the timeless author and cartoonist but also reinforced the importance of reading.
One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish and other Dr. Seuss visions enlivened the Gloucester Township-Blackwood Rotary Library Branch on Thursday afternoon.
In celebration of Seuss’ birthday and the importance of youth reading, the branch hosted its own rendition of the nationwide Read Across America Day.
Adorned with Grinch-colored cookies and Green-Eggs-And-Ham goodies, youngsters enjoyed an afternoon of excitement, while learning the importance of reading.
“The kids really love the whimsy of Dr. Seuss. It’s very difficult to read the books out loud, because they’re very tongue-twister-like,” said librarian Julie Mumma, known around the branch as “Miss Julie.” “If we can celebrate reading and put it in a party atmosphere, then they can really enjoy it.”
Adorned in a Cat-in-the-Hat hat and whiskers, Miss Julie says the cadence of the iconic author’s stories, particularly the rhyming, is especially beneficial to rudimentary reading skills.
Although this event takes place each March, she picks out different Seuss books to highlight every year.
Tying strings to paper plates, the event’s central focus was an air balloon creation, inspired by “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” as children scribbled the names of places they’d like to see one day.
“This was just to spark imagination and think about places you want to travel and bring it into their own lives,” Miss Julie said.
From Disneyland to South America, the young children said they want to visit many parts of the world.
While creating the crafts, they munched on Cat-in-the-Hat pretzels and shared their favorite Dr. Seuss stories.
“I like to read ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ because it’s funny and I like how (Sam-I-Am) keeps saying ‘no’ and he finally says it at the end,” preschooler Sophia Comber said.
“I like when they eat green eggs and ham in the book,” Caroline Branch added.
Another popular book mentioned was “Come Over to my House.”
“I like when they’re on the boat when they have spaghetti,” preschooler Gianna Graziano said.
Miss Julie says it’s never too early or too late to teach little ones how to read. The library participates in the national “1000 Books Before Kindergarten” program, which even encourages reading to babies while still in the womb.
Every and any book read to children is just more exposure to not only literacy but the world around them.
Although the afternoon was focused on both the fun and fundamentals of books, the interaction between children and their guardians served as a meaningful component that echoes in the elements of learning.
“I just hope they enjoyed not even just reading or Dr. Seuss but having their caregiver here with them and really participating together. And, that ties into reading — reading together and trying to make it a shared experience,” she said.
