I’m sure a lot of you already know that 2007 is the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Cat in the Hat. Random House Children’s Books and Dr. Seuss Enterprises really wanted to have some fun with this, so they’ve chosen to partner with First Book in a national literacy campaign called Project 236, named for the 236 words Dr. Seuss used when writing this classic book.

There are a lot of exciting things happening to celebrate the Cat’s birthday, and by joining in, you can help First Book distribute new books to children in need!

Send a Birthday Card: If you visit Seussville.com now through May 1st, you can paint and send an e-birthday card to the Cat in the Hat. For every card received, Random House Children’s Books will donate one new book to First Book! There are lots of other fun activities hosted on this site; it’s definitely worth a visit (or two). Random House will also donate one new book to First Book for each Dr. Seuss book purchased through May 1st.

Read Across America Day: March 2nd is the National Education Association’s annual Read Across America Day. Because March 2nd is also Dr. Seuss’ 103rd birthday, NEA is encouraging readers everywhere to grab a kid (or a kid-at-heart) and a copy of The Cat in the Hat to read aloud at 2:36 p.m. on that day. Events will be taking place all across the country and a list of locations can be found at CatInTheHat.com.

Build-A-Bear Workshop® is also joining in the fun by offering a Make-Your-Own Cat in the Hat. Visit any Build-A-Bear location from March 2nd through March 23rd and a portion of proceeds from your Cat in the Hat or Read Teddy bear will be donated to First Book. Read-Aloud events will also be taking place at every Build-A-Bear Workshop store across the country on March 2nd at 2:36 p.m. local time. You can visit the Build-A-Bear website for more information.

Seuss Auction: Random House Children’s Books is inviting contemporary artists to pay tribute to Dr. Seuss by creating something in his honor. All Seuss-inspired creations — be they songs, poems, paintings, or autographed Cat hats — will be auctioned at an event in partnership with Guernsey’s auction house. Proceeds from the auction will benefit First Book. Stay tuned to our blog for more details!

This is an exciting time for everyone at First Book, and for all the kids around the country who will benefit from Project 236’s efforts. I hope you can take part in at least one of these activities…. Who wouldn’t want to have a little fun and wish the Cat a happy birthday!?