The Cat in the Hat is a hit on Read Across America Day

In schools, libraries, bookstores and malls across the United States, a special visitor will be on hand for Read Across America Day on Friday.

The Cat in the Hat, a character created by children's author Dr. Seuss, will be on the move this week, appearing at many reading events.

Some reading events will be held on Saturday, the birthday of Dr. Seuss, but school events will be held on Friday.

In Lynchburg, the Cat in the Hat will be on hand at River Ridge Mall on Saturday, March 2, along with local celebrities from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The read-a-thon will be located beside Regal Cinemas and will include a bouncy attraction, prizes and more.

At Amazement Square, the Cat in the Hat will make an appearance during the Dr. Seuss birthday party at the museum on Saturday, which begins at 11:45 a.m. and continues all day. There will be lots of fun activities to celebrate Dr. Seuss.

In some schools and preschools, the children will be wearing the signature tall red and white striped hat worn by the Cat in the Hat in Dr. Seuss' books.

One of the biggest events will take place in the historic New York City Public Library. In addition to the Cat in the Hat, actress Uma Thurman and actor Jake T. Austin will read to more than 250 public school children from New York.

Kids love the funny rhymes in Dr. Seuss books as well as the nonsensical characters like the Cat in the Hat that generations of children have enjoyed.

In many homes, Dr. Seuss books are among the first books kids learn to read. The simple words contained in the books make it easy for kids to read alone.

Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Seuss Giesel on March 2, 1904. The first bestselling book Seuss wrote was "The Cat in the Hat," which was published in 1957.

Dr. Seuss wrote 48 books for children and adults which sold over 200 million copies. You can learn more about Dr. Seuss on the History Channel's website.