“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you,” – Dr. Seuss.
This quote from Dr. Seuss defines why the Poplarville Public Library is celebrating his birthday with movies, coloring and readings from his books, Poplarville Public Librarian Denise Davis said.
On Tuesday, the library opened its doors to Dr. Seuss fans to join them in watching “Horton Hears a Who!” On Thursday, from 10-11 a.m. the library will host a coloring session dedicated to Dr. Seuss followed by a showing of “Cat in the Hat” at 1 p.m.
Growing up, Dr. Seuss’ books inspired Davis to “be goofy,” she said, and not be afraid to show her true self.
“I love his books and I still read them to this day. I have story time with children of the community and I love just being goofy and reading all of the great works of Dr. Seuss,” Davis said.
Dr. Seuss’ birthday is March 2, and because of his impact on children to this day, Davis thought it would be a perfect way to not only celebrate his birthday, but also expose kids to the fun and vibrant books and films.
“Dr. Seuss was really good at getting your attention through his play on words and the animations in the books. The colors are so inviting and the words are a lot of fun. It’s not just entertaining for the kids, it opens the realm of getting enjoyment out of reading,” she said.
Getting a child to pick up a book is a challenge, Davis said, but not when it comes to Dr. Seuss because the books are very attractive. Davis gets the children engaged while reading the books, incorporating games into the stories and having them read along so they learn to enjoy reading.
“This past Halloween I dressed up as the girl who had a bad case of the stripes and it warmed my heart to see kids recognizing who I was and what book I was from,” Davis said.
On Thursday, along with coloring activities and watching “Cat in the Hat” Davis will decorate the meeting room in the library to host a big birthday party for Dr. Seuss, including cookies, music and more. The library’s staff invites everyone to join the festivities, which start at 10 a.m.
Every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday the Poplarville Public Library also has open coloring sessions for kids and adults.
“I don’t think we ever get too old to have a child’s heart,” Davis said.
For more information on the Dr. Seuss birthday party, call the Poplarville Public Library at 601-795-8411.