We celebrated Dr. Suess's birthday last week. The rhyming mad man would have been 107 on Wednesday, had he not died in 1991. Silly and ridiculous, his books always make children laugh, because a "nooth gush on my toothbrush" is funny. We never read these when I was young. Brad and Kristen had them, the whole set in a bookshelf at the top of the stairs, but there were no Dr. Suess books at my house. I was always intrigued, bright pictures and silly words still appealing to a third grader, when I first discovered them.
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
— Dr. Seuss (I Can Read with My Eyes Shut)
Mary and Kate's grandmother sent them an entire set of Dr. Suess books when they were born. Perfect to read to the very young, we rhymed through Hop on Pop and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, giggling as I flubbered "the ink he likes to drink is pink".
"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
— Dr. Seuss (Happy Birthday to You!)
Last week I read Hop on Pop, Green Eggs and Ham, and Fox in Sox in the library at school. There are more than a few ways to really destroy Tweetle Beetle Bottle Puddle Paddle Battle Muddle, done especially well when reading to big eared second grade students. And while I occasionally bore them with my history lessons hidden in children's books, Dr. Suess keeps those eyes and ears keenly tuned on the story.
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
— Dr. Seuss (I Can Read with My Eyes Shut)
My favorite Dr. Suess book is his first, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, originally rejected by up to 43 publishers. This rhyimg reminder to value creativity and embrace imagination keeps me silly, keeps me writing, and tells a wonderful story, because an elephant and a sleigh are infinitely more interesting than a horse and a cart.
"And that is a story that no one can beat, When I say that I saw it on Mulberry Street."
-Dr. Suess (And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street)
No comments:
Post a Comment