“You can find magic wherever you look, sit back and relax, all you need is a book.”

March is National Reading Month!

Started to honor Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss’s, March 2 birthday, National Reading Month celebrates the places you’ll go each time you open a book. Schools across America celebrate by decorating classrooms and hallways with familiar characters from The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who and Green Eggs and Ham. Following the success of 1957’s The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss and his wife created Beginner Books, a series of books designed to help children learn to read.

Why is National Reading Month important to Communities In Schools?

Communities In Schools is passionate about giving every child the opportunity to excel in life. Reading is the cornerstone of education and paves the way for student’s academic career. A study from Edinbrugh University followed more than 17,000 people in the United Kingdom over the course of 50 years and proved the connection between childhood reading and job success later in life. Another study found that engaged readers from materially disadvantaged homes outperformed less engaged readers from materially well-off homes.

Beyond the realm of education and potential workplace success, reading can strengthen social ties and increase empathy. People who read fiction tend to display more empathy and openness to new experiences. Readers can visit the mind of characters within the pages of a book and expand their own view in the process. Reading also fosters strong vocabulary, communication and critical thinking skills, as well as fostering creativity within readers of all ages.

It’s clear that reading deserves to be celebrated.

Through our Duval Reads literacy initiative, Communities In Schools celebrates National Reading Month year-round. Duval Reads provides one-on-one and small group tutoring for students in elementary school and seeks to increase each student’s reading proficiency by at least ten percent over the course of the school year. Since 1999, Duval Reads has helped more than 7,500 students reach their reading goals.

Where to celebrate National Reading Month in Jacksonville:

• The San Marco Branch of the Jacksonville Public Library is celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday on March 2, 2020 from 6PM to 7PM.
• The Argyle Branch of the Jacksonville Public Library’s Reading Buddies program partners a teen mentor with a school-aged buddy to read together, and meets on March 7, 2020 from 11:30AM to 12:30PM.
• The Highlands Regional Branch is hosting a Teen Book Club on March 12, 2020 from 5PM to 6PM.
• The Regency Square Branch invites you to read to Kasper the therapy dog on March 25, 2020 from 2PM to 3PM.