Bring up the name “Dr. Seuss” at a Team Read site, and you’re guaranteed big smiles. What’s great is, smiles come from reading coaches and students alike.
“My first-grade teacher was really into Dr. Seuss,” recalls Anna, a reading coach at Thurgood Marshall Elementary. “We would read a Dr. Seuss book, then watch the movie on Pajama Day and discuss which one we liked better. In the 4th grade, I got to be the narrator in a play about the star-bellied Sneetches.”
March is Dr. Seuss month, in honor of the late author’s birth date. It’s also National Reading Month, a perfect time to dig into Seuss’ classic library.
Elena, a third grader in Team Read, also loves the Sneetches. “It’s funny how they keep losing their stars and putting on new ones.”
“Dr. Seuss is such a motivational author,” notes Merilee Hudson, a Seattle Public Schools librarian and former Team Read site coordinator. “Most kids learn to read with him, and they love his books.”
Dr. Seuss books in the Team Read leveled library increase in difficulty, allowing readers to challenge themselves further once they get hooked on Seuss’ rhymes and creatures.
Many of the coaches and students interviewed recently cited The Cat in the Hat as their all-time favorite Seuss read.
“I always loved that giant, weird-looking cat,” recalls Annie, another Team Read coach.