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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The Vox Box

Another Birthday…More Cake?

He's celebrating Cat-style...
He's celebrating Cat-style...

Well - I tried to be a clever blogger and think of a catchy rhyming title for this but I got nothin'. Dr. Seuss could think of a rhyme for anything, (or at least make one up...); especially as we celebrate The Cat in the Hat's 50th birthday. (I'd bet the Cat's birthday party would be a little different than the Hot 100's shindig...)

Described by Wikipedia, the famous Cat in the Hat is "a tall, anthropomorphic, (given human characteristics...) mischievous cat, wearing a tall, red and white striped hat, a bowtie, and an umbrella."  Anthropomorphic? That word probably took me longer to pronounce than it would to just read the book...

So how do we celebrate a breakthrough work of children's literature such as this?  Seussville.com is hosting a "Happy Birthday Cat in the Hat!" page putting heavy emphasis on getting all of the neighborhood kids reading.  Community members, siblings, parents, and teachers alike are asked to participate in the NEA's National Read-Aloud, thus bringing books into the lil' guys' lives.

(You can even send the Cat himself a fancy-shmancy e-card...rawr...)



In 2006, then-editor Steve Smith of The Spokesman-Review had the idea of starting a publication for an often forgotten audience: teenagers. The Vox Box was a continuation of the Vox, an all-student staffed newspaper published by The Spokesman-Review. High school student journalists who staffed the Vox made all content decisions as they learn about the trade of journalism. This blog's mission was to give students an opportunity to publish their voices. The Vox Box and the Vox wrapped up in June 2009, but you can follow former staffers' new blog at http://voxxiez.blogspot.com.