[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 30 (Thursday, March 4, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E308]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY

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                               speech of

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 2, 2010

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this 
opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate Read Across America Day, 
designated as March 2nd, 2010, the birthday of Dr. Seuss. For the past 
thirteen years, thousands of schools, libraries, and community centers 
across our nation have participated in Read Across America Day by 
bringing together families and books. It is a pleasure to use this 
occasion to also recognize the importance of reading and the successes 
of reading interventions.
  Read Across America Day focuses on motivating children and teens to 
read by providing parents, caregivers, and children the resources and 
activities they need to make reading a year-round event. Read Across 
America Day has encouraged more than fifty national nonprofit 
organizations and thousands more local partners to join in celebratory 
events to promote children's reading. An estimated forty-five million 
people will participate in the Read Across America program in 2010.
  Members of our communities are working hard to motivate children to 
read because they know that reading is an important factor in student 
achievement. Children who spend more time reading do better in school 
and develop lifelong passions for reading. In order to prepare our 
youngest citizens for a successful academic career, it is critical that 
we encourage parents to read with their children on a consistent basis.
  Theodor Geisel, known as Dr. Seuss, spent his life encouraging 
children of all ages to love reading. Through his playful prose and 
cheerful rhymes, Dr. Seuss created books that are an effective tool for 
teaching young children the basic skills they need to be successful. As 
we celebrate Dr. Seuss and reading, we send a clear message to 
America's children that reading is important and exciting.
  The continued support of Read Across America Day is essential in 
creating more opportunities for children to thrive in education and 
become the leaders of tomorrow. Reading is a lifelong activity and 
children especially deserve us to contribute to their success. In the 
words of Dr. Seuss, ``the more that you read, the more things you will 
know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.''

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