To celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday on March 2, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and Random House Children’s Books has announced plans to honor the author with a variety of events, merchandise and partnerships.

The celebration will kick off with Target, Barnes & Noble, Party City, buybuy BABY and independent bookstores across the country hosting Dr. Seuss reading events leading up to the author’s birthday. Events will be hosted in stores on Feb. 29. A 16-stop Cat in the Hat Costume Tour, will also be taking place in late February into early March, making stops at bookstores across the country. 

In the augmented reality space, Dr. Seuss Enterprises and creative innovation studio Sugar Creative, will launch the first in a series of AR apps. The first app in the series is “Dr. Seuss's ABC – An Amazing AR Alphabet!” which is based on the book “Dr. Seuss's ABC.”

"This annual holiday celebrates how Dr. Seuss books and characters infuse learning with fun, while also giving people of all ages an opportunity to express their love of the Dr. Seuss brand in creative and new ways," says Susan Brandt, president, Dr. Seuss Enterprises. "Dr. Seuss's birthday is a great time to celebrate reading and literacy by taking a moment out of your day to read to a child."  

Several of Dr. Seuss Enterprises' leading licensee partners will be launching limited edition Seussian product lines in honor of the writer’s birthday as well. The merchandise includes a line of baby and toddler apparel at Target, costumes and accessories available on Elope.com, a full line of Dr. Seuss classroom décor from Eureka School, figurines from JimShore.com, party supplies and decorations from Oriental Trading, Hanna Andersson kid and toddler pajamas and apparel and a collection of socks, t-shirts, and underwear by Stance.

"There is no better time to celebrate a love of books and reading than on Dr. Seuss's birthday," ads Mallory Loehr, senior vice president and publisher, Random House Books for Young Readers Group. "We are always thrilled to be a part of the festivities that surround this day and are proud to be the publisher of Dr. Seuss's unforgettable stories that generations of readers continue to enjoy."