March is a month for celebrating books. Schools and libraries across the country recognize the importance of books and the skills of readers. In addition, students are encouraged to read in honor of Theodor Seuss Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss. Since 1998, National Read Across America Day has been celebrated on Seuss’ birthday every March 2.

The holiday was initially created to get kids excited about reading. Today, it is the nation’s largest celebration of reading, with students, teachers and parents gathering in libraries to check out their favorite books and encourage others to read. However, school librarian Lauren Reusch believes reading does much more than increase comprehension.

“For me, reading provides you with a sense of empathy that you might not otherwise have and makes for a much kinder and more accepting world. The more you read, the more empathetic you become [and] the more viewpoints you can understand. I don’t think there is anything bad to say about that,” school librarian Lauren Reusch said. “Reading is something that I think is extremely important, and making something fun gets more people involved.” 

Starting March 2, the library will display a colorable map of the United States along with markers and books that take place in different states. If a student is the first to check out, read and return a book set in a state that is not yet decorated, they are the one who gets to design and color in that state on the poster. This display will last for the entire month, with the goal to encourage students to read books set in all 50 states.

“[The setting of a book] is not something you normally think about. It can play a big part in a book, but it doesn’t always. Sometimes it’s just a backdrop, and you don’t notice the setting as much as if it were brought to the forefront. It makes you read in a different light,” Reusch said. 

The map, once all colored in, will allow students to see everywhere their peers have read over the month. Even though students might not read from all 50 states in one month, Reusch hopes to continue this tradition and see a gradual improvement in reading over the years. 

“We may not read across America this year, but as you continually do things, more people jump on, and it brings more awareness. We try putting as many things out there as possible to get as many people involved,” Reusch said. “Hopefully, it will place an extra focus on reading for enjoyment and also reading something that you wouldn’t normally read.”