One of my favorite things about being a children’s author is reading to a classroom full of kids!  I just love to see their faces light up when we get to an exciting part of the story.  Recent studies show that reading to a child up to age 5 is a positive predictor for literacy in later years. (Source: National Early Literacy Report).  In May 1997, a small reading task force at The National Education Association (NEA) wanted to get kids excited about reading.  Thus, NEA’s Read Across America was born and celebrated on March 1, 1998, Dr. Seuss’s birthday.  Now we see everyone from schools to libraries to community centers host events to…