Celebrating Dr. Seuss!

It’s March, and that means National Reading Month! I remember Reading Month in elementary school; we would bring books and snacks and would wait as eagerly as Pavlov’s dogs to hear the reading bell ring during the day. That bell meant we could stop whatever class we were in and start reading. We got to seek out a cozy corner of the room, take out our snacks, and spend half an hour in the imaginary world of our choosing. What a glorious idea!

Strangely, one of my most vivid memories of reading month was actually the time that I brought carob chips as my snack. I had wanted to bring something sweet and chocolatey, but that’s not the kind of house I was raised in. All we had at home was this weird, healthy “chocolate” knockoff. An adult woman on an extreme diet may have been able to fool herself into thinking that carob tasted good, but not me. I knew I was eating brown chalk. However, although my snack was a bust, I’m sure my book was good enough to make up for it.

Anywho, I would be remiss to let National Reading Month pass without acknowledging one of the most influential authors for children: Dr. Seuss. Let’s take a quick peek at his biography, his effect on children’s literature, and a few of my personal favorite Seuss books!

The Doctor’s Early Years

Dr. Seuss wasn’t actually born with a doctorate degree…or with the last name of Seuss. In fact, he was born as Theodor Seuss Geisel in 1904, Seuss having been his mother’s maiden name. He must have enjoyed drawing and writing as a wee lad, because those tendencies followed him to college at Dartmouth. He was actually the editor of their humor magazine…at least until he got the boot from that position because he and his friends were caught drinking during the prohibition.

Naughty Ted.

But that punishment didn’t keep him from contributing to the magazine under various pseudonyms, including Dr. Seuss. His enjoyment of cartoons and writing followed him to Oxford where he began pursuing a postgraduate degree in English Literature. But he soon found that he enjoyed doodling in his notebooks more than the lectures themselves, so he dropped out and returned to America, working as a cartoonist for various advertisements.

Challenge Accepted

Seems like a rough start, right? But his beginning as a children’s author was even more unpromising. His first illustrated children’s book, “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” was rejected close to 30 times before one of his friends in the publishing business took a chance on Seuss. That was way back in 1937, and while he continued to publish children’s books every few years, it wasn’t until 1957 that he got his big break with “The Cat in the Hat.” But with a break that big, it was worth the wait.

So why does everyone think that book is the cat’s pajamas? The fact is, the book was pretty groundbreaking. At that time, children’s educational books weren’t known to be exciting page-turners. Most of them were of the “See Spot run” variety—equally effective as a teaching tool and a sedative. Kids didn’t enjoy them, so kids didn’t enjoy reading. After a few articles were published about this conundrum, the public became concerned. A few people even suggested that Dr. Seuss remedy the situation by writing something more interesting for kids…using only 220 words…from a list of 348 basic vocabulary words.

Guys, that would be really, really hard.

But in the fires of this challenge was forged a book like no other. “The Cat in the Hat” emerged as a triumph of children’s literature, made from the perfect alloy of education and imagination. (Enough with the sword analogy. I’ll cut it short and get back to the point.) The point is, Dr. Seuss had introduced a new kind of book for little readers, and it changed everything.

The Style of Seuss

Dr. Seuss is best known for his comical meter and fantastical drawings. As a writer of silly, rhyming stories, he is nearly unrivaled. While a few of his books are written in prose, the majority are written in anapestic tetrameter—a ten-dollar term that just means he stuck with the same kind of rhythm in most of his books. I think kids love the rhythm of poetry in general, but it’s the content of Seuss’s poems that appeals to them even more. It’s like he tapped into the brains of some wacky kids and extracted the strange stuff they dreamed up. And it’s not just kids who enjoy it; everyone knows that the capers of Thing 1 and Thing 2 are more interesting that seeing Spot run. Sorry, Spot.

For someone who enjoyed writing nonsense, Dr. Seuss also wrote several books that teach moral lessons. He didn’t want to be blatantly didactic (although this author believes that he may have inadvertently strayed into that realm a time or two…), but he did want to teach children the importance of equality, conservation, and other topics that concerned him. He didn’t believe in “writing down” to children as inferior beings; rather, he wanted to present information to them as equals. Equals who like silly words and bright pictures. And as his books are still some of the most popular children’s literature today, I’d say he did something right.

It’s wonderful that Dr. Seuss was not only the author but also the illustrator of his books. That way we know we’re getting to see exactly what he meant by truffula trees and zizzer-zazzer-zuzz. His iconic characters and colorful landscapes make his books fun even for kids who can’t read yet. And he had so much to say! He continued to write, illustrate, and publish books until 1990, the year before he passed away.

Some of my Favorites

While there are so many Seuss books to choose from, I’ll just mention two that I remember from growing up. The first is called “The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins,” and it’s actually one of the few books that Dr. Seuss wrote in prose instead of poetry. And for a children’s book, it’s pretty long! Bartholomew is a little peasant boy who gets into trouble for not taking off his hat when the king passes in the street. The problem is that Bartholomew did take off his hat, but there was an identical hat underneath! And then another and another and…you get the picture. If you haven’t read this one in a while (or ever), I think you’d get a kick out of reading it.

And I’d have to give my second acknowledgement to “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” since it was a graduation gift. It’s the last book that Dr. Seuss wrote, so you know he saved up some good stuff for it. I think it’s a healthy blend of inspirational and realistic. He assures you that on your journey through life, sometimes you’ll be awesome…but not always. That’s a needful balance to today’s “You-will-win-every-game-and-be-the-best-at-everything” mindset, but it’s hopeful enough to give to a high school graduate without depressing him. It’s a fine balance, but Seuss achieved it.   

Here’s to You, Dr. Seuss!

So next time you open a children’s book to read to your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or even yourself, take a moment to thank the good Doctor for his contributions. His books opened the dam to a flood of enjoyable, colorful, appealing children’s books that will continue to water young minds for years to come. Thanks, Dr. Seuss!

Today’s Question: What’s your favorite Dr. Seuss book, and why?

Sources:

http://www.seussville.com/#/author

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dr-Seuss

https://www.biography.com/people/dr-seuss-9479638