This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Read 'The Cat in the Hat' and 'Green Eggs and Ham,' Too

I'll Be Reading Those Books; Now, What About You?

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you'll go.” ~Dr. Seuss

March 2, 2011, will mark the 107th birthday of beloved children’s author, Dr. Seuss.  A celebration of his birth will be carried out in schools and libraries across the country to celebrate what Theodore (Ted) Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, has contributed to the world of children’s literature. 

Dr. Seuss grew up right here in New England, in Springfield, MA.  Many Springfield images can be spotted in his books; the waterways from Forest Park in "Horton the Elephant," the truck driven by Sylvester Monkey McBean in "The Sneetches" reflects a tractor on the streets of Springfield and the red motorcycles in "And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street" are the color of the once-famous Indian motorcycles driven by the Springfield Police officers.

Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Dr. Seuss graduated from Dartmouth College and continued studying at Oxford University at the request of his father, who wanted him to become a college professor. 

He left Oxford, claiming boredom and a desire to travel. After marrying, he moved to New York City and worked in advertising for Standard Oil and then illustrating political cartoons during World War II.  He even worked for the army creating animated training videos.

Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The first book that he wrote and illustrated, "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," was published in 1937 after being rejected 27 times.

Dr. Seuss claimed that his gift of rhyming and his literary success could be credited to his mother, who used to sing rhyming songs from the old country to him as a child at bedtime. 

His most famous book, "The Cat in the Hat," was not his first book but is by far his most popular.  Book publisher Houghton Mifflin asked Dr. Seuss to write and illustrate a children's first reader using only 225 beginner vocabulary words. "The Cat in the Hat" is loved the world over for its use of simple beginner vocabulary for emerging readers and led to a series of other first readers.

Did you know that moral lessons can be found throughout many of Dr. Seuss’ books?  He used symbolism to address important issues going on in the world as he wrote.  Secretly tucked in between the rhyming and colorfully playful illustrations are important moral teachings.

Most notably, he reflected on fascism in "Yertle the Turtle," environmentalism in "The Lorax," and commercialism in "How the Grinch stole Christmas." In "Horton Hears a Who, "Horton says, “"A person's a person no matter how small." The message of democracy and free speech and that every person’s voice matters is the prevailing message in this book.  "Horton Hatches an Egg" focuses on adoption. 

Dr. Seuss went on to write and illustrate 44 children's books, including such all-time favorites as "Green Eggs and Ham," "Oh, the Places You'll Go," "Fox in Socks" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." His books had been translated into more than 15 languages.

Celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday this year by pulling out your favorite Dr. Seuss book and sharing it with the children in your life. 

I’ll be reading "The Cat in the Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham," too.  What will you be reading, how about you?

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?