[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 42 (Thursday, March 5, 2009)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 9741-9742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-4822]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 42 / Thursday, March 5, 2009 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 9741]]


                Proclamation 8349 of February 27, 2009

                
Read Across America Day, 2009

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Read Across America Day provides an opportunity to 
                support efforts to excite children about reading and to 
                educate families about the importance of literacy. I 
                encourage families and all citizens to celebrate the 
                joy and emphasize the importance of reading.

                 Every American child deserves the opportunity to solve 
                the puzzles of mystery novels, to discover the beauty 
                of poetry, to imagine the fantastical worlds of science 
                fiction, and to explore their own world through books 
                about nature and foreign lands. Reading provides 
                unending enjoyment and helps unlock a child's creative 
                potential. We must make literacy the birthright of 
                every American.

                Every child also deserves the tools they will need for 
                success. Students must read well to meet high standards 
                in the classroom. Understanding science, mathematics, 
                and the arts requires the ability to read proficiently. 
                Beyond the schoolyard, our youth must be prepared to 
                meet the demands of the global economy. New 
                technologies and steep competition abroad require our 
                Nation to focus on children's reading skills as a 
                building block for future personal achievements.

                 Families must play an active role in this effort. On 
                Read Across America Day, parents are encouraged to read 
                to their children for at least 30 minutes. I also 
                encourage parents to recognize the critical importance 
                of literacy for their children's future and to develop 
                habits at home that encourage reading, such as reading 
                to their children every night or providing incentives 
                for them to read on their own.

                 On Read Across America Day, we partner with the 
                National Education Association and mark the birthday of 
                Theodor Geisel, whose beloved Dr. Seuss books still 
                inspire children throughout the world to read.

[[Page 9742]]

                 NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim March 2, 2009, as Read 
                Across America Day. I call upon children, families, 
                educators, librarians, public officials, and all the 
                people of the United States to observe this day with 
                appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

                 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-seventh day of February, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
                third.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. E9-4822
Filed 3-4-09; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-W9-P