Every March 2nd, schools celebrate National Read Across America Day (formerly Dr. Seuss Day, as March 2nd is also his birthday). The point of this day is to get young children to actively participate in reading through various activities, such as being guided around a library. This day was observed in 1998 and was originally christened Dr. Seuss Day but has since been renamed due to controversy around how race is portrayed in his books. The National Education Association created the holiday, and since distancing the holiday from Seuss, has focused on promoting books from diverse authors. I will gladly be observing this holiday with an excellent chunky paperback, and you should too! I guarantee that whatever genre of media you love, there is a good book out there to represent it.
The J.P Beaumont series of novels by J.A Jance are great reads for those who love detective stories if you need any recommendations. If you like horror, a disturbing thriller like "Shattered" by Dean Koontz or an action-packed vampire-hunting adventure like "Nightblood" by T. Chris Martindale should be enough to feed your spooky fix. Another great way to celebrate is to get your children or younger siblings to participate! The first source I've cited has plenty of fun activities to get you or younger readers involved, such as having books readily available for kids to get curious enough to pick them up.
A personal activity I would recommend is reading something you haven't in a while and seeing if you get anything new out of it. Pick up one of your old favorites. Maybe the life experience you've gained since reading them can make things jump out of you that didn't on your first go around.
Work Cited
National Read Across America Day (Dr, Seuss Day). National Day Calendar, https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-read-across-america-day-dr-seuss-day-march-2- unless-weekend/ , Accessed February 21, 2022.
Aspegren, Elinor. “‘Read Across America Day’ once synonymous with Dr. Seuss, is diversifying. Here’s why things have changed”. USA Today, 1 Mar. 2021, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2021/03/01/read-across-america-day-dr-seuss-diversity-racism/6878454002/ , Accessed February 21, 2022.
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