Oh, the places they went.(Read Across America celebration)(Brief Article)

Read Across America celebration draws 35 million participants

They read in malls. They read in halls. They read alone. They read through phones. They read books here. They read books there. They read books almost everywhere.

The one thing all these readers had in common was that they were among the 35 million Americans across the United States who honored the birthday of the late Dr. Seuss on March 2 by participating in the National Education Association's fourth annual Read Across America celebration.

NEA President Bob Chase said, "It was a day to celebrate the teaching and learning of a skill as basic to a productive life as air and water. This year's theme, "Oh, The Places You'll Go," invited readers from all walks of life to join teachers, librarians, parents, students, and others to talk about the magic, excitement, and adventure that books offer and provided a wonderful opportunity to ask others along for the ride."

In schools and communities throughout the United States, reading was the spotlighted activity of the day. In addition to drawing support from some 40 groups, including the International Reading Association, Read Across America also drew participation from politicians and a wide range of celebrities.

In Washington, First Lady Laura Bush read at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Representatives Richard Gephardt (D-MO) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) read to area schoolchildren from the House Minority Leader's Capitol Hill ...