Cullman City Schools are celebrating Read Across America by tapping into the love and history of some childhood classics this week.

Young students at West Elementary School, East Elementary School and Cullman City Primary School are celebrating the works of children’s book author Dr. Seuss with themed days, ranging from silly socks, to pajama parties, and wearing as many differently-colored clothes as possible — all in an effort to promote reading and show students the joy that can be found in a good book.

Cullman City Primary School Principal Dr. Tricia Culpepper said Dr. Seuss week is a highlight each and every year at the primary school and head start program. To celebrate, the school is virtually welcoming in readers to share a book each day, including guests like Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and local community leaders.

“We instill the love of reading each and every day, but during Dr. Seuss week we focus on becoming lifelong readers and the importance of reading each day,” she said. “Our hope for all of our students is for them to leave the primary school being proficient and life long readers.”

West Elementary School Principal Jay Page echoes those sentiments, noting Read Across America is an excellent way to highlight the importance of reading with fun activities framed around Seuss classics My Many Colored Days, The Foot Book, The Cat in the Hat and I Am not Going to Get Up Today.

“We want this week to be a springboard for a lifelong love of reading, and Dr. Seuss’ books are fun and inspirational for our students,” Page said. “These are the same books their grandparents read to their parents. We want our students to find books that they enjoy to encourage them to read for a lifetime.”

Read Across America is a year-round program launched in 1998 by the National Education Association and educators across the nation, and focuses on motivating children to become lifelong readers.