SIERRA VISTA —  “If I were invited to a dinner party with my characters, I wouldn’t show up,” Dr. Seuss once said.

But Village Meadows Elementary School and Buena High School students and teachers will — with their cat in the hat(s) on no less.

Local students and schools around the nation look forward to celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday March 3 for the 11th annual Read Across America Day. Schools will throw birthday parties in honor of the late Pulitzer Prize- and Academy Award-winning author. Local students will take part in the festivities at Buena High School. When it comes to silence in the school’s library, all rules and etiquette will be thrown out the window as Dr. Seuss’s colorful characters come to life through students’ and staff’s quirky costumes and spirited readings.

The purpose of the party is to show students that reading can be a delightful and rewarding experience. Who better to illustrate this philosophy than Dr. Seuss?

Though he is no longer living, he infused every children’s book he ever penned with his own brand of humor and zest, leaving a lasting legacy to readers worldwide.

The author is also largely responsible for vastly improving children’s attitudes toward reading. Life magazine printed an article that caused this pivotal change in 1954 titled, “Why Johnny Can’t Read.”

The magazine stated that reading was difficult for children because their school books were uninteresting. Seeing this, Dr. Seuss’s publisher asked him to come up with a list of words for a fun, humorous children’s book he planned to publish. Dr. Seuss in turn wrote “The Cat in the Hat,” using 220 words from his list to enchant and delight. The book was immediately well-received.

Now technology is king, and video games, television and movies take precedence over reading. Many children are more apt to read text messages and blogs online than they are books because our technology makes these items so readily available to them. In this fast-paced society, children need extra inspiration to pick up a book and give reading a chance, and Read Across America is ready to meet the challenge. The organization’s goal is to help make reading popular again for students around the nation.

National Education Association president Reg Weaver said “When children open the pages of a good book, reading can ignite their imaginations and open the doors to a reading wonderland.”

In his signature rhyming style, Dr. Seuss himself said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

With parents, teachers and students getting involved, the state or reading today can change into an activity that is revered by the newest generation.

Herald/Review reporter Lorie Roberts can be reached at 515-4611 or by e-mail lorie.roberts@svherald.com.