Bemidji Parks and Rec Celebrates Dr. Seuss’s Birthday with Storytime Program

From “The Cat in the Hat” and “The Lorax” to “There’s a Wocket in My Pocket!” and “Fox in Socks,” children have long enjoyed the creative and fantastical works of Dr. Seuss. The children author’s tongue twisters and colorful creatures have become ingrained in pop culture, and March 2nd marked his 119th birthday, which was cause for celebration in Bemidji’s Historic Carnegie Library.

“We do a storytime on Mondays, and we thought it would be really fun to add a special one to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday, because we love to read,” said Jamie Anderson, recreation coordinator for the Bemidji Parks and Recreation department.

This event served as a special edition of the weekly Storytime at the Carnegie program, which is provided to the community by Bemidji Parks and Recreation  and the Friends of the Carnegie Library.

“Storytime at the Carnegie is a weekly event for preschool age, kind of, beginning elementary school students,” explained Bemidji Parks and Recreation assistant coordinator Liz Rynders.

Being able to share the joys of reading to young children is, after all, at the heart of many of Dr. Seuss’s works.

“We love Dr. Seuss, the books are very colorful, very fun, the kids always get really engaged with the stories,” said Anderson, “and it’s just a lot of fun to read them, and just to celebrate a whole day of Dr. Seuss is just a great way to bring enjoyment to the kids.”

Because Dr. Seuss’s work has been in the public eye for several decades, it stands to reason that people will create a strong attachment to any one of his stories, whether that be ” The Cat in the Hat,” “Horton Hears a Who,” or “Hop on Pop.”

“I love ‘The Lorax,’ said Rynders. “It’s a great story that’s all about preserving the Earth, and, kind of, making sure it’s there for the next generation. Kind of like reading these stories, and passing them on.”

The Storytime at the Carnegie program takes place every Monday at the Historic Carnegie Library and is free to any child that wishes to attend. You can register for an event here.