Dr. Seuss

Read Across America (and everywhere else, too)!

One, two, three, four,

five, six, seven,

eight, nine, ten,

He has eleven!

I wish I had eleven, too!

Remember this?

Or, perhaps:

One Fish, Two Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Oh, those were the days, my friend! Those days of fascination, repetition, and glee. Those days when you could recite an entire book from memory even if you were so tired you could barely keep your eyes open. Those days when you had read the same book so many times, you didn’t even need your eyes open. And, if you didn’t read it correctly, your trusty little sidekick would call you out as a traitor to the rhythmic cause, despite supposedly not being able to read to him- or herself. Those days of sleep deprivation intermixed with silly rhymes and brightly-colored, bizarre pictures. It is those days that we are lucky to have.

Theodore Geisel, yet another canceled bard, has nevertheless inspired many children to sit still long enough to soak in silly, float in the fantastical, and laugh in wide-eyed awe while learning basic sight-words.

His cartoonish illustrations also have a life of their own. To this day, my husband and I still refer to different plants or animals or houses or people as having a Seussical quality.

As example, I’m fairly certain I saw this guy recently at the store:

I won’t wax on too long about my appreciation for the good ol’ Doctor, but I do suggest parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, all get together to read once more, the tales of the sweet doktor to their children galore.