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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 1999

Media Advisory

SEUSS ON THE LOOSE!
NEA Gears Up to Unleash Third Annual Reading Extravaganza
"Read Across America" Set for March 2, 2000

Washington, D.C. -- In cities and towns across the U.S., parents, teachers, and schoolchildren are making plans to celebrate what would have been Dr. Seuss's (Theodor Geisel) 96^th birthday on March 2 with an unparalleled reading extravaganza. The NEA-sponsored event - "Read Across America" - is expected to engage more than 20 million children and adults.

• To mark the special day, the infamous Cat in the Hat has been invited to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange; rock stars will read to children at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland; the Empire State Building will be lit with the Cat's red and white stripes; and newspapers - large and small - will honor winners of a "Write What's Right!" essay contest based on Dr. Seuss's book, The Sneetches.

"The most important events, however," says NEA President Bob Chase, "will take place in homes, schools, libraries, and community centers across the nation where adults will be carving out special time to read to children. We are urging every adult to be in the company of a child - and a book - on March 2."

• Last year Read Across America Day was proclaimed by governors from Alaska to Florida; U.S. Navy men and women aboard the USS Saipan read to more than 600 children; Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - accompanied by the Cat in the Hat - read to schoolchildren at a Washington, D.C., elementary school.

To help promote reading, the NEA recommends to parents:

• Keep a good supply of easily accessible reading material at home - books, magazines, newspapers.
• Set an example. Demonstrate your own joy of reading by reading with your children and letting them see you reading for pleasure on your own.
• Begin reading with your children early - during infancy. Talk to them about books they know and the books they own.
• Participate in NEA's Read Across America on March 2, and make sure your child's school is making plans for this special day. For more information on Read Across America, visit our website at www.nea.org/readacross.

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support personnel, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.