By Dan May
Rotary Club of Orange
Dan May
Read Across America Day, a day established by the National Education Association in 1998 to help children get excited about reading, is on March 2. The day marks the birthday of renowned children’s book author Dr. Seuss, the penname of Theodore Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), a native of Springfield, Massachusetts. On that day students, teachers, parents and community members around the nation come together to read books and celebrate the joy of reading from one of his own 45 authored books as well as other beloved titles.
Rotary clubs across southern Connecticut will mark that celebration of reading this spring by introducing in their communities a new children’s book written in the tradition and manner of the continuing Dr. Suess franchise. The book, titled Kindness is Caring, Friendship is Sharing, is authored by New York Times bestselling children’s book author Tish Rabe. She has written more than 200 books for Dr. Seuss, Sesame Street, Disney and others with more than 11 million copies sold.
This new book’s production and first printing run was commissioned by the Rotary Club of Trumbull with the assistance of other clubs, including ours here in Orange. This book is a gentle, rhyming story set in the African plains that reflects Rotary values and inspires readers to make the world a kinder, gentler place. African artist Moka Celess has illustrated the story with beautiful illustrations that glow on every page. The story itself is about a young zebra called Amani, who is learning how to care about others and have others care about her.
The Rotary Club of Orange plans to give a copy of this book to the town’s kindergarten students this spring. This new book will join other Rotary-commissioned books that are shared each fall with all second graders at the town’s three elementary schools, as well as the distribution of a children’s dictionary/reference book to all third graders. Rotary likes initialisms, and one is ECEY – every child, every year.
Literacy is a focus area for each of the more than 40,000 Rotary clubs around the globe, and reading initiatives are one of Rotary’s most successful endeavors. It was reassuring when we met with a group of college students recently, and one from North Carolina noted that she still has and uses her Rotary-supplied dictionary more than a decade later.
Most of us recall the joy of being read to as a child or reading to children and grandchildren. In discussing Read Across America, I was reminded of another group that loves to be read to – those seniors who can no longer read or perhaps even hold a book.
Blogs and books on tape are not as satisfying as having someone sit down next to you to read and share a story. My mother-in-law is now in memory care, but smiles brightly and asks good questions when her children and grandchildren read to her on visits.
As Read Across America approaches, take some time to think of a story or book that you might read to or with someone. Enjoy the opportunity, and remember: kindness is caring, friendship is sharing.
Dan May is the president of the Rotary Club of Orange.