Packard Children’s marks Dr. Seuss’s birthday with story-telling time

Students from Stanford University School of Medicine bring a fun-filled afternoon of literacy to patients at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, reading aloud tongue-twisting tales from Dr. Seuss.

Claire (right) enjoys ‘The Cat in the Hat’ as read by Mary-Grace Reeves, second-year medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Horton Hears a Who!, The Lorax, and Yertle the Turtle are all books by Dr. Seuss that elicited giggles from patients today during story-telling time at Packard Children’s. Friday, March 2, marks the author’s birthday and Read Across America Day, an annual awareness program that calls for every child in the community to celebrate reading.

Dr. Seuss, beloved author and illustrator, shaped four generations of children with tales that inspire curiosity and a love of reading. Tasked by his editor in 1954 to write a children’s book that would shake up the blasé children’s publishing world, Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat, a delightful and entertaining tale about two children with nothing to do. Seuss’s publisher was prompted by a Life report on illiteracy that suggested children of the time were having a hard time reading because their books were…boring. Since the initial success of Dr. Seuss’s book, the author has published more than 44 works and helped millions of children to learn to read, and enjoy themselves in the process.

For Mary-Grace Reeves, a second-year medical student, and principal organizer of this year’s reading event, Dr. Seuss was a natural fit for the day’s story-telling activities.

“Even though he wasn’t a medical doctor, [Dr. Seuss] has done so much healing through his stories,” says Reeves. “Dr. Seuss is someone who has really inspired a lot of people in a love of learning and a celebration of reading.”

Research confirms the advantages children experience when developing an appetite for reading at an early age. According to the National Center for Education and Statistics, children who are read to at home are better readers themselves and have higher math scores. Findings from the Education Testing Service show that children who read more frequently are more likely to count to 20, write their own names, and read or pretend to read.

Second-year medical students from Stanford University School of Medicine visit Packard Children’s for a Seussational reading event.

As Read Across America Day kicks off on Friday, patients and their families are invited to visit the Story Corner or Family Resource Center to pick out a good book. Located adjacent to the main lobby in the new hospital expansion, both centers house bookshelves that are loaded with books for children of all ages.

“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back & relax. All you need is a book.”

– Dr. Seuss