“I meant what I said and I said what I meant, And an elephant’s faithful, one hundred per cent!”
Horton, the Elephant.
You know me well. Starting with Tom’s early morning reminder, followed by several emails, I’ve been advised that today is the birthday of Dr. Seuss! He delighted us with some 60 books and more verses than we will admit that roll from our tongues. My favorite one was uttered by Horton, in the first Horton book, Horton Hatches the Egg, which I read in between giggles. I still do.
Dr. Seuss’ books are often one of the first books a youngster receives. They are also one of the most popular gifts given as graduation presents. Oh, The Places You’ll Go. I would often insert names of students into the verse at 8th grade commencement ceremonies in another life when I gave such speeches. It was always a hit.
Of course, we all enjoy that strange cat with a hat, and our girls good-naturedly tease that the last good book their dad read was Hop on Pop. Have you ever referred to someone as a grinch? What would you do if you ran a zoo and have you ever made green eggs and ham?
Where would we be without Dr Seuss! I loved reading his books to my son, and now to Mira. My favourite was The Lorax (being a conservationist) and he certainly took the message to heart.
I am so glad he was so prolific, Juliet. Of course, you would love The Lorax and I imagine that Mira loves it as well. Isn’t it amazing that so many people enjoy Seuss’ books and each has a favorite?
My favorite author ;>). Will you go to the Lorax movie? I’m worried that kids will know only the movie characters and not the book (like the way they only know the Disney version of Winnie the Pooh.)
I don’t think so, Sallie, though I will eventually watch it when it comes out on DVD. I have that same concern about so many books that are made into films. I just always hope that children, and adults, for that matter, know the books first.
How I remember being young and reading The House at Pooh Corner. My imagination and those whimsical illustrations made the stories so special to me.
Dr. Seuss was an amazing author. Ironically, when I was a child and first introduced to him, I didn’t really like him. I read To Think That I Saw it On Mulberry Street. I thought the little boy was a liar. It took a later read to see the humor in it. I believe that the first time I was a bit full of myself and taking my reading a bit too seriously. Today I walked through school with my tall striped hat on my head. A student who didn’t previously know me asked “What’s up with her?” The answer was ” Oh, that’s just Mrs. D. You will get used to her.”
Ha ha, I love it.
I think much of Seuss’ humor is not easily evident to children, Janet, so I can understand your first taste of Seuss being less than what you expected at that point in your childhood. I can just imagine you and your hat walking down the hall, Mrs. D. That answer was really a compliment to you – and I love it too.
I have tried to think which book is my favorite, and I really can’t. I taught Pre-K to 1st grade, Penny, and we always had our “Green Eggs and Ham” breakfast day
and of course, I had most of the books, if not all, in class. Now I can read them to the little girls, and enjoy them in a new way. He was such an original! I’m glad that there has been a little attention to his birthday, and I hope the Lorax movie release will just inspire a new generation to want to know the books! I’m glad you brought back some happy memories! Debra
Thank you, Debra. Books, especially children’s books, do bring back memories, don’t they, and Dr. Seuss spans the generations as not many others do. Isn’t it fun to read them now to your grands? Kezzie already has a few in her expanding library. Here’s to Green Eggs and Ham and all the rest.
Ahh, the Sneetches–Star Bellies or not….
I wish I knew whatever happened to the large drawing of them that one of my younger sisters made for my first son when he was about 5. She and I reminisced about it a few months ago, but neither of us knows for sure what became of it. In any case, I believe Dr. Seuss would have approved her efforts.
Aha, the Sneeches – cautionary tale. What a fun thing for your sister to do for your son, Karen. I hope you can find them someday, but just the memory of them is so wonderful. I, too, think Dr. Seuss would hav apporved.
Oh, the Lorax, Penny. We gave it to DD for Christmas and she loved it. before long she virtually knew it off by heart and would recite whole chunks to us. I enjoy other titles, but the Lorax has such a message.
The Lorax seems to be the favorite of many others as well, Perpetua, and yes it has a good message. How fun it must have been (and probably still is) to hear DD reciting its verses. So many of Seuss’ books were such whimsical fables, weren’t they?
Although available, the Seuss books aren’t as omnipresent here in England as they seem to be in the part of the US that I know. ( Well….Sheboygan, WI. ). My daughter had a few of them as a child, and was given the “Oh the places you will go” on leaving high school. (Actually, it was given to us when she was born, with instructions that we should give it to her 18 years later…. I felt very responsible that I actually carried out these instructions, remembering where the book had been kept for 18 years ). She loved it by the way…it has pride of place on her student book case at university in Liverpool.
Visiting Sheboygan last summer I visited the new university children’s book park that opened in 2010 on the Sheboygan campus. It is beautiful, and included some fabulous Seuss references as well as gorgeous creations from other children’s classics. It is a wonderful place to take children of all ages, and brilliant for adults to wander through too.
What a wonderful gift for a newborn, Janice, and I’m especially impressed that you remembered where you kept the book. I’m lucky if I can find my keys most days. “Oh the Places You Will Go” is great graduation gift.
Dr. Seuss and his cast of characters and books are very much a part of our culture and I don’t know many households who don’t have at least one of his books. What wonderful children’s books, and other, that you have in the UK that find their way here. I can only imagine what books don’t.
Oh my, that university book store sound like a spot I could get into serious trouble in. The university must have a good elementary education program. I feel a trip up for some kiddie lit and brats (bratwurst) in Sheboygan.
I’m sorry that my blogging skills aren’t up to adding a link from my latest post back to your Dr Seuss post….one day maybe, Thinking about the bookworm garden…it’s a garden rather than a shop, I decided I had to sort out my photos from my visit and post them on my 2nd blog in 2 days ( not something I’ve done before ! ). I envy you in that going up to Sheboygan is a little easier for you than me, although I have never developed a taste for brats, despite eating them on every single visit I have ever made to Wisconsin since I lived there in the mid 80s. Somehow, I have never been able to enthuse about them as much as the locals. The bookworm garden, however….. is a real delight.
Janice, I took a few minutes to look at your pictures and I’m smiling with delight. Now, I really will have to get to that bookworm garden sometime. It’s four or five hours up and its been some time since we were that way, but, now I must make it a destination. What fun! We both love brats, but, don’t eat them often as they aren’t the best for you. We usually have them on the 4th of July here, or some other time in the summer. I know we would have them in Sheboygan.
Good for you, Janice. That’s great! Two posts in as many days. It takes awhile to get into the rhythm of posting more and everyone is different. Your pictures are great and you get those links figured out. I’ve not yet figured how to get a blogroll on mine.
Now, about that bookworm garden. . .
We always loved Dr Seuss and my own favourite was Yertle the Turtle because the downtrodden rebels so perfectly.
I teach English in Spain and had only been thinking that Dr Seuss stories would be wonderful to read in class. This post hones my intention and I shall dig out our stories as soon as I can to take in.
Nice to meet you. I’m a friend of Janice!
Axxx
Hello, Annie. Nice to meet you as well and to know you’re a friend of Janice’s. Welcome.
Oh, Yertle the Turtle is wonderful, indeed! I haven’t thought of that one in quite a while. It will be such fun reading Dr. Seuss in Spain, I would think. Let us know how the children like it.
I became fluent on Dr Seuss. My mum bought a pile of his books secondhand and said every time I read one, I could get my hands on the next story in the series. I devoured them all, and they lived on my shelf for my entire childhood. I loved The Cat In The Hat Dictionary,and still know many of its captions today. Happy birthday, Dr Seuss!
What a clever way of your mom to slowly mete out Dr. Seuss, Kate. They are such fun books and there is usually a bit of a fable in them. I don’t know The Cat in the Hat Dictionary. I’ll have to locate that one. Thanks.
I wish I knew where my Dr. Seuss books were. They were so colorful, in word and drawing. I loved the cartoons, too.
They might just be hiding in a box or two, Andra, or maybe you need just one new one.
I love Dr. Seuss and I think reading finally clicked for Eoin with the book “Green Eggs and Ham”! I found out about Dr. Seuss’ birthday from Eoin when he came home from school on Friday. He said they served green eggs an ham in the lunchroom on Friday, but alas, he had brought his own lunch that particular day.
Can you imagine eating those green eggs? I think Seuss’ birthday is national reading day or something like that so schools use it as an opportunity to promote reading. A good thing. I think “Green Eggs and Ham” is such a fun book and one that does click children on to reading.
Dear Penny,
Ah! To have a Seuss book in the house is to have a treasure. Everyone and anyone can open it and find not only rhymes that astound but stories that help us become contented with ourselves and good neighbors and friends to others. If only all of us could be “Suessy.” If our imaginations took flight to where elephants and green eggs and grinches and all those silly, delightful, astounding characters dwell.
Peace.
How well you describe Dr. Seuss, Dee. He was so gifted in the way he attracted such a wide audience and how his stories were modern fables with such wonderful lessons inside the covers of his books, not to mention how fun they are to read. I hope you enjoy a Dr. Seuss soon.