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| The NEA’s Cat-a-Vans will deliver books to schoolchildren this week. |
Sporting artwork of Dr. Seuss’ popular Cat in the Hat character, three “cat-a-van” tour vans hit the road this week to bring books to schoolchildren in 11 states. The National Education Association’s 2008 Reading Tour coincides with the national Read Across America Day (March 3), and kicks off a week-long celebration of reading inspired by Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
The three vans started their journeys last Friday, Feb. 29, leaving from Atlanta, Ga., Austin, Texas, and Chicago. The vans will stop at elementary schools in more than 18 cities in 11 states, providing books and cash grants. The donations are made possible by the NEA’s Books Across America program for public school libraries.
Cat-a-Van Tour 1 will leave from Chicago and travel through Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Tour 2 will start in Austin, Texas, and drive through Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Cat-a-Van Tour 3 will begin its journey in Atlanta and drive through Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, delivering books to young readers in the Southeast corridor. To learn if the tour is stopping in a city near you, visit the NEA website.
And just how did the Cat in the Hat get involved? National Read Across America Day was started 11 years ago to celebrate and pay tribute to Dr. Seuss (Dr. Theodor Geisel), who encouraged millions of kids to read with his rhyming style. One of Seuss’ most popular books, The Cat in the Hat uses simple, mostly monosyllabic words that young readers can readily comprehend.