“I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living; it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1901, so today is the anniversary of his birth date. He wrote over 60 books that have sold more than 220 million copies and are still selling like hot cakes. People love to read his books to their kids. If they’re like me they sometimes want to round up a kid in order to get the chance to read a Dr. Seuss book aloud. It’s fun for the tongue and as he once said, “Fun is good.” Especially when you’re reading to a child or that child is learning to read himself.
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I once tutored a young man who had gone to school nine years without learning to read. Eventually he learned enough that he could read Green Eggs and Ham. I’m not sure he was excited about reading the book, but my enthusiasm for his accomplishment was enough for both of us. That’s why Dr. Seuss wrote that book and Cat in the Hat along with others. Not for my adult reading student, but for kids learning to read. Something fun to read that would light up their imaginations and make all the dots connect in such a way that they would fall in love with books and reading.
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Of course I fell in love with reading without Dr. Seuss books and while being taught to read from the dullest books ever written. “Jump, Spot, jump.” Spot was the only good thing about those first grade reading books. I was already crazy about dogs back then. But my kids got to read Dr. Seuss and the Dr. Seuss reading books written by other authors. Even better I got to read those stories aloud to them.
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I asked my Facebook friends what their favorite Dr. Seuss books were and got a variety. I have a hard time choosing a favorite. I liked the Horton books and I Had Trouble Getting to Solla Sollew and I Can Lick Thirty Tigers Today. But then somebody will mention a different title and I’ll say, “Oh yeah, I liked that one too.” My youngest son loved the If I Ran the Circus and If I Ran the Zoo. I sometimes wanted to hide those two books when we went to the library. He wanted to check them out every other time. Now his kids like those books. For sure reading them gives your tongue a work-out.
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So I’m glad Dr. Seuss thought reading should be fun. What’s your favorite Dr. Seuss book or line from one of the books? I really like the line from Horton Hatches the Egg. “I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one hundred percent.” And I like the bit about having trouble going to Solla Sollew “where they never have troubles or at least very few.” I don’t know which book the following quote comes from, but it’s a good one too.
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“Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!” Dr. Seuss
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So glad you are you. Thanks for reading. Sunday I hope to share some of the sister stories I got in my last giveaway and announce the winners of the gift cards. Then I’ll have to think up something new to giveaway.