#103 The Cat in the Hat

Kelly is not the only one to turn 50 this year. The Cat in the Hat turns 50, too.

While I haven’t yet figured out how to celebrate Kelly’s milestone, I know just how we can all celebrate The Cat’s 50th. We can support Random House Children’s Books, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and First Book in a national literacy initiative called Project 236. Thanks go to Joan in Wisconsin for telling me about this cool opportunity.

The literacy initiative is called Project 236 because Dr. Seuss used a vocabulary of only 236 words when he wrote a story “first graders wouldn’t be able to put down.” This story made reading fun and helped books compete against cartoons and comics. If you’d like to celebrate The Cat’s birthday by providing books to children from low-income families, visit the Project 236 web site to read about the many ways you can contribute. One way is to send an electronic birthday card to The Cat. For each birthday greeting sent, Random House will donate one book to First Book. First Book is dedicated to giving children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books and that seems like a good way to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Cat in the Hat. 236 Words. 50 States. 1 Cause.

Yours in wondering if I could find a red-and-white-striped hat for Kelly,
Mary