February 12, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact: Susan Trien, 585-410-6359, strien@museumofplay.org
The Cat in the Hat Celebrates 50 Years
at Strong National Museum of Play® March 2, 3, & 4
The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
So we sat in the house
All that cold, cold, wet day....
From The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss
Dr Seuss’s famous Cat in the Hat will land on Rochester’s doorstep for weekend appearances at The Cat in the Hat 50th Birthday Celebration at Strong National Museum of Play® Friday, March 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday, March 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, March 4 from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. The Cat in the Hat appearances are presented in conjunction with Project 236 and the NEA’s Read Across America, national programs designed to promote children’s literacy.
Did you know that Dr. Seuss used only 236 different words to write The Cat in the Hat? In honor of that accomplishment, the treasured story will be read aloud at Strong National Museum of Play (and a number of other venues across America) at 2:36 p.m. each day. Following the reading, Strong guests are invited to join a Seussical parade and enjoy a serving of birthday cake at 3:00 p.m. (while supplies last). Roving storytellers dressed in Cat-style red and white stovepipe hats, red bow ties, and white gloves will invite guests to hear and act out popular Dr. Seuss stories including Fox in Socks and The Lorax. Families can also visit a Tongue-Twister Station, make their own Cat Hat, and try to balance some crazy stuff in their hands and on their heads, just like The Cat in the Hat.
In celebration of The Cat in the Hat’s 50th Birthday, Random House Children’s Books and Dr. Seuss Enterprises have partnered with First Book to launch the national literacy initiative Project 236. March 2 is Dr. Seuss’s birthday and the NEA’s Read Across America day, the annual program designed to encourage children to read.
For every Dr. Seuss book purchased through May 1, 2007 Random House will donate a book to First Book, an organization that gives children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. Random House will also donate one book to First Book for every birthday card received for the Cat in the Hat through May 1, 2007. For complete details about the program and official rules please visit www.catinthehat.com .
This event is sponsored by Random House Children’s Books and Wegmans.
All activities are included with general museum admission fees.
The Story Behind Dr. Seuss and The Cat in the Hat What inspired Dr. Seuss’s beloved classic that forever changed children’s books? In 1954, many Americans were bemoaning rampant illiteracy in our schools and asking themselves: Why can’t Johnny read? In an article in LIFE magazine, Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Hersey maintained that American children couldn’t read because their primers were boring and based on flawed pedagogy. Hersey challenged Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) to write a story “first graders wouldn’t be able to put down.” And that’s just what Dr. Seuss did, using a vocabulary of only 236 words. In 1957, Random House published The Cat in the Hat, and ever since then, Dr. Seuss has been charming children everywhere into learning how to read. Source: The National Education Association |
Strong National Museum of Play®, located in downtown Rochester, New York, is the only museum in the world devoted to the study of play as it illuminates American popular culture.
Hours:
Monday–Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.;
Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
Admission Fees:
General Admission (does not include Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden™):
Adults $9.00; Seniors $8.00; Children (2–17) $7.00; Children younger than two free; Strong members free.
Admission to Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden™:
General Admission fee plus $3.00 per person for members and nonmembers; Children younger than two free.
Due to limited capacity, entry to Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden™ is by timed tickets only. Advance purchase is recommended. Please call 585-263-2700 to purchase timed tickets.