The Cat in the Hat
My first book.
Not
the first book I ever owned. Not the first book I ever read or had read to me. (See previous post, Love and Poetry)
The Cat in the Hat was the first book I personally bought with my own money
I
must have been about 6 years old and my allowance at the time was $2.00 a
month, which I received each time my mother got paid. This was enough to buy this
coveted book.
Soon
after this initial purchase I realized that every book that I might ever want
was available for purchase.
This
was the beginning of my penchant for buying books. This
was the origin of maintaining a must-have list of books. And
this was the start of my personal investment and support of the publishing
houses of the world.
Every
bit of my allowance for a number of years went to books.
And
now-- not much is different.
This
first purchase eventually led to overflowing bookshelves and piles of books
in every room.
The
Cat in the Hat eventually became part of an early reading series, which
included a number of early reader picture books by Dr. Seuss, as well as other
authors. I remember reading many of these.
Dr. Seuss, however, like many of the writers I love best, wrote for a variety of purposes
at a range of levels. You could literally grow up with his ever higher offerings
of wisdom and life lessons.
As
a novelty Christmas gift about 10 years ago, my parents bought me How the
Grinch Stole Christmas in Latin.
Several
of his books deal with social justice issues such as racism, (Sneeches) the environment, (The Lorax ) compassion and
activism ( Horton Hears a Who)
and more and more.
Dr.
Seuss joined the war effort during World War II, in a way that only he could, working as a
political cartoonist for a New York newspape. Richard H. Minear has collected
over 200 of these subtle Seuss cartoons in Dr. Seuss Goes to War.
Dr.
Seuss also created art solely for himself—now available for us in a fantastic,
sophisticated, coffee-table collection of 65 never published cartoons, sketches
and oil paintings.
TheSecret Art of Dr. Seuss,
delights our thirst for the imaginary, other worldly creatures and lands that
we grew to love in the Seuss we read as children.
And
for those desiring a more risqué experience, Seuss even published a delightful “adult”
book, The Seven Lady Godivas. including nudes in classic Seuss style.
In
its 16th year, NEA’s Read Across America is not only this one day of
celebrating--reading, reading-aloud, and reading marathons and other such
activities-- but an integral component of a year-long effort dedicated to motivating children and
teens to read, through programs, partnerships and resources. You may want to visit their Facebook page and join the effort.
What
will you do today to motivate someone to read?
What
will you do to motivate someone to read---not just today, but regularly?
Today’s
Deeper Writing Possibilities
People
either love Dr. Seuss or totally dislike his work. Which are you?
What
do you remember about Dr. Seuss books from your childhood? Which one was your favorite? You may enjoy revisiting some of his books this week. What points and perspectives did you miss as a child that you noticed as an adult?
What
have you learned from his wisdom and the political stances portrayed in his
books?
Write
a tribute to Dr. Seuss. You may want to
write a speech that could be presented at
Read Across Amerca Event.
Sophie has really started to love Dr. Seuss lately and I just found several titles of his on Amazon that I didn't know about. I think I'll put them in her Easter basket instead of candy!
ReplyDeleteI love how there are many levels of Seuss books ---Sophie will be able to indulge in her love for a long time to come. My fifth graders were enthralled with how serious issues could be dealt with in classic Seuss style. I used several titles in Social Studies, along side more "serious texts." Lots to compare and consider.
ReplyDeleteHorton Hatches An Egg?