Dr. Seuss, such a goose, was loose.

The more that you read
     the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
     the more places you'll go.

--Theodore Geisel...a.k.a., Dr. Seuss.

* * *

Since I recently made a re-post about the Lorax, I figured Dr. Seuss deserved some more "ink." What's your fav Dr. Seuss book? Or, books? Hmmm.

I just love the thumping, rollicking rhymes of THE CAT IN THE HAT, IF I RAN THE ZOO...oh, gosh, and the number of times I read ONE FISH, TWO FISH, RED FISH, BLUE FISH to our kids, oh my! THE NOSE BOOK was a winner with the kids, too. Perhaps the persistence that finally persuades Sam-I-Am to try green eggs and ham...in a box or with a fox, on a train or in the rain, here or there or anywhere...yup, that's the top of my list.

The rhythm is contagious, like a good kids song or like a Sousa march; the subjects are both prosaic (cats and hats, fish and colors, ham and eggs) and zany...boy, do they tickle the funny-button of kids young and old. My parents weren't fans of Dr. Seuss: too many made-up words, and too preposterous...well, that's what they thought when I was a tyke...certainly, they didn't deplore of those books by the time they were grandparents.

There are good life-lessons in Geisel's books, although he (thankfully) did not attempt to be "educational" or moralistic:
--persistent pushing to try something new, those green eggs and ham.
--everyone's nose is different and that's just hunky-dory (The Nose Book.)
--be careful just who you play with (Cat in Hat.)
--from a writer's perspective, Dr. Seuss was great with his loosely associated ideas...he wasn't stuck on linear/adult logic! If two unrelated things were side-by-side, well, by golly, then there they were, and now they're related, unhated, frustrated, out-dated...here or there, near or far, make them funny, whatever they are!

So, what's your fav, and why?



PS: older posts are accessible in the column on the right, a bit lower down. DS.