March 2nd marks the birthday of America’s favorite children’s author, Dr. Seuss. His birthday is celebrated in schools around the country to honor his works as well as his contribution to early childhood education. In his lifetime, Seuss has published over 60 children’s books. Arguably, Cat in the Hat is the most well known. If you love “all things Seuss” then his birthday should be a day near and dear to your heart.
The Cat in the Hat is a tall and mischievous cat who wears an oversized red and white striped hat and carries an umbrella. Both the adult costume and children’s costume as well as the hat and gloves for the Cat in The Hat costume sell well during Halloween but make a huge surge in February and March in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. The second most popular Dr. Seuss costumes after the Cat in the Hat are Thing 1 and Thing 2.
You may be wonder why Dr. Seuss and all his jibberish-like language would be so well revered in schools? Well, the history being Cat in the Hat is an interesting one. Back in 1954, Life magazine published a report on illiteracy among school-aged children. The report surmised that children’s books were boring and not motivating enough to encourage a child to learn and practice reading. Accordingly, a textbook editor at Houghton Mifflin compiled a list of 348 words he felt were important for first-graders to recognize. Dr. Seuss edited to list down to 250 words and decided to write a book using as many of those words as possible. Seuss lived up to the editor’s challenge to “bring back a book children can’t put down.” Dr. Seuss used 236 of those words to write the Cat in the Hat which was published in 1955. To this day children cannot put it down. And because of his devotion to teach children the joy of reading, he is remembered and celebrated at elementary schools every year.
Costume SuperCenter has several versions of The Cat in the Hat costume. For schools that celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday every year the Cat in the Hat Mascot costume is a high quality costume that can be used for many years. The Cat in the Hat outfit for kids makes a great costume for a pep rally, school presentation or simply to get into the spirit of the day. There is also an adorable infant’s Cat in the Hat costume that is perfect for introducing your little one to the joy of Dr. Seuss books. For those who only need accessories, the Cat in the Hat gloves and hat can be purchased separately. For this time of the year the accessories are extremely popular because you can wear them with your regular clothes or school uniform.
Dr. Seuss was a favorite of my as well as my child’s. I’m sure everyone out there has a special memory of a Dr. Seuss book. We’d love to hear your comments about Dr. Seuss’s birthday and if your child’s school celebrates with Cat in the Hat costumes and other fun activities.