The Cat in the Hat, in its tall and fuzzy glory, visited Santa Clara’s Books Inc. for the store’s Read Across America Pajama Storytime.
“Tonight we’re celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday, which is today, March 2,” said Cheenie Durham, store manager. “Dr. Seuss is a classic children’s book author beloved by oldsters and children. My favorite Dr. Seuss book is ‘The Cat in the Hat.’”
Attendees sipped milk, munched on cookies and crafted hats from paper bags, markers and crayons. Players found words in a bingo game that matched or rhymed with vocabulary in Dr. Seuss books. Fast-talking attendees numbed their tongues while speed reading to passages in Dr. Seuss’s “Fox in Socks,’ such as: “When tweetle beetles fight, it’s called a tweetle beetle battle. And when they battle in a puddle, it’s a tweetle beetle puddle battle.”
Robin Stern, the store’s children’s specialist and former children’s librarian, playfully read aloud Dr. Seuss books, such as “Happy Birthday to You!” Stern, a Santa Clara resident, misses reading to her children. (One child attends Santa Clara High School and the other is at Mission College.)
“I’ve been of fan of Dr. Seuss my whole life; I love his art and the way he plays with words,” Stern said. “My favorite Dr. Seuss book is ‘Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book.’ It’s about everyone in the world going to sleep. I find the book very soothing.”
Stern brought a life-sized stand up cardboard poster of the Cat and the Hat she had kept from the now closed Waldenbooks back in her hometown in Gaithersburg, Maryland as well as a vintage copy of “McElligot’s Pool” signed by Dr. Seuss himself.
Also a Santa Clara resident is Mili Gupta, who came with her two children to the bookstore. Her children, ages four and two, brought their red and white striped Dr. Seuss hats.
“We came tonight so we could learn more about Dr. Seuss,” Gupta said. “I want my kids to experience Dr. Seuss books and the Cat in the Hat in person. Before we came, we put our whole ensemble together as a family activity. My daughter wanted me to paint her nose and whiskers.”
In March, all Books Inc. stores are offering a special: buy two Dr. Seuss books and get the third book free. Santa Clara’s Books Inc. store is located inside Santa Clara Square at 2712 Augustine Dr #120 (between Bowers Ave. and San Tomas Expy).