On Monday afternoon, the best part of Fire Chief Harold Scoggins’ day was spending time with 30 eager readers, ages 5 to 7 years, at the Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club on MLK Way South. The children listened intently as the Chief read the classic Dr. Seuss book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.”
It was all part of Read Across America Day, otherwise known as “Dr. Seuss Day,” an annual event created by the National Education Association to encourage children to read. March 2 marks the birthday of famed children’s book author, Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel, who wrote and illustrated dozens of children’s book during his career.
Published originally in 1990, just a year before his death, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” is perhaps the most significant book of Seuss’ legacy, as it combines classic Seussian elements such as Horton-like elephants, castles, mazes and clanking contraptions with a lifetime of wisdom in terms children can understand.
For the children at Rainier Vista, they not only got a chance to hear the Chief read, they also talked with him about important things like what it’s like to be a Fire Chief, what to do if their smoke alarm sounds at home, and how quickly they need to get out by crawling low under the smoke.
A highlight of the visit was when Chief Scoggins autographed the book for the children for them to keep in their book collection at the Club.