Where And How to Celebrate Read Across America
By Jessica Allen
Few authors have done as much as Dr. Seuss to foster a lifelong love of reading in children. The National Education Association created the Read Across America program to connect kids and books and to commemorate Dr. Seuss's birthday on March 2. Below please find our picks for where and how to celebrate in NYC this year.
Read Across America
New York Public Library branches
New York, NY
www.nypl.org
Joining many libraries across the country, various branches of the New York Public Library will be hosting events pegged to Read Across America Day. At the Yorkville Library, for example, little readers can do a Dr. Seuss puzzle and all attendees will receive a book to take home. At the Belmont Library, as well as the Woodlawn Heights Library, kids can work up some arts-and-crafts while listening to stories (infants to age 12). If you or your kid doesn't already have a library card, today might be the perfect day to sign up for one. See NYPL calendar for details, free.
Wish Dr. Seuss a Happy Birthday
Barnes & Noble
33 East 17th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 253-0810
stores.barnesandnoble.com
Who doesn't love a birthday party? Barnes & Noble's flagship store in Union Square has an exciting event planned to celebrate the 114th anniversary of his 1904 birth. The fun at the Dr. Seuss Birthday Celebration ranges from games to activities to story time. If you can't make Friday, you might try to attend The Very Hungry Caterpillar Storytime on Saturday, which is all about the ravenous little insect who eats and eats, then transforms into a gorgeous butterfly. BYOC (bring your own cake). Friday, March 2, and Saturday, March 3, see schedule for details, free.
Experience 'A Wrinkle in Time'
Books of Wonder
18 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 989-3270
booksofwonder.com
"A person's a person no matter how small," wrote Dr. Seuss. In the same vein, books are books, no matter who wrote them. One of the best children's bookstores in the city, Books of Wonder helps kids learn to appreciate the written world all year-long. On Saturday, however, the store will be hosting tons of authors, including Jacqueline Woodson and Kat Yeh, as well as Madeleine L'Engle's granddaughter, Charlotte Jones Voiklis to read and discuss A Wrinkle in Time. Everyone who goes will leave with a poster for the upcoming Disney movie. Saturday, March 3, 1 to 3 pm, free.
Hear Tales from Dr. Seuss
The New York Society Library Society
53 East 79th Street
New York, NY 10075
(212) 288-6900
www.nysoclib.org
Stories are stories, sure, but stories told by storytellers are really and truly magical, infused as they are with the spirit and passion of the narrator. To celebrate Dr. Seuss, storyteller LuAnn Adams will be at the New York Society Library, looking "to entertain everyone young and old! . . . Guaranteed to inspire grins!" Tales on tap include "The Cat in the Hat," "Yertle the Turtle," "Horton Hatches An Egg," and "Green Eggs and Ham." There will be props and puppets too! Saturday, March 3, 3 pm, ages 2 and above, $10 per child, advanced registration required.
Visit 'Life Underground'
14th Street (A/C/E/L) Station
New York, NY 10014
(877) 690-5116
www.tomostudio.com
Stroll through the subway station at 14th Street and Eighth Avenue, and you just might notice something special: cut bronze sculptures. In 2001, the Metropolitan Transit Authority commissioned sculptor Tom Otterness to decorate the A/C/E/L station as part of its Arts for Transit Project. The result is irresistible turtles, alligators, janitors, and lots of other creatures—more than 100 figures in all. While not related to Dr. Seuss or reading, there's something about these whimsical little beings that puts us in mind of the imaginative worlds generated and fostered by reading. Ongoing, free.
