March 02, 2007
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
...and not just Dr. Seuss, but this year, the Cat in the Hat turns 50!!!
So, in case you didn't know, today is the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known to millions of readers as Dr. Seuss. And for those of you that know me, you know I am a HUGE fan of the good doctor.
Today I had a chance to go to Allie's school and read two stories to her class. The first was "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish." I had a lot of fun getting the kids to say some of the words at the ends of the stanzas. Then I read, "What Was I Afraid Of?" from the Sneeches and Other Stories book. It is a favorite of Delphine's and was of Allie's for a long time. It's the story of the pale green pants with nobody inside them.
For me, Dr. Seuss is probably my most favorite author ever. I know that sounds silly, since he writes children's books, but I really mean it. A few weeks ago, I was chatting with my cousin, Chris White. We started off talking very high level about the Seuss stories, but once I really showed him the "behind the scenes" stuff in the stories, he was impressed even more with Seuss' work.
One example is "Green Eggs and Ham." Did you know that many sales organizations use this text to teach their sales team how to sell thigns to people? Why? Because it shows assertiveness, a tenacious spirit, and the core principle of "if you are 100% certain it is right, then fight for it." Sam is relentless with the fellow he is trying to get to eat his green eggs and ham. When one approach fails, he tries another, finally coming to a compromise: the fellow asks that if he will TRY the food, will Sam leave him alone. Sam says yes, the guy eats it, loves it, and praises it's worth from the mountaintops (or rather, in a house, with a mouse, on a train and in the rain).
It's things like that which allow me to say he is my favorite author of all time. Stephen King might be sad to hear that, especially since he is my #2 guy and I am one of his Constant Readers, but I really like what Seuss did with his stories and made them enjoyable on SO many levels.
So, come celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday and give the Cat his due. I've got a great idea to help you celebrate.
Head out to http://www.CatInTheHat.com/ - watch the fun animation and then once you are at the main page, click that link that says, "Send the Cat a birthday card." Why? Because after you take a moment to step back in time and color a picture, once you send your card to the Cat, Random House will donate a book to First Book an organization dedicated to helping low-income families with literacy by giving them books.
O.k., enough. This post went much longer than I expected, but what can I say, I am passionate about Dr. Seuss.
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
Happy Birthday, Cat In The Hat!
Thanks for bringing us so many years of wonderful story time!
-m-