Okay, Listen Here

Okay, Listen Here

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Dr. Seuss's birthday is March 2nd, but my school is celebrating Friday so I am a bit early. Better early than late. I love Dr. Seuss!

I know this may come as a surprise to some people because he was such a visionary and so far out of the box and I am so firmly in the box. I think that may be the very reason I love him so much. His characters never seem to follow the rules but nothing dire happens to them. Often they are even rewarded for thinking outside the box like when Horton saves an entire species just because he believed in himself rather than listening to everyone who tried to make him conform. What a valuable lesson.

Some of my earliest memories are of my momma reading Dr. Seuss books to me. I loved the sounds in them. I loved the pictures. I loved the way they felt in my hand and the way they smelled in my nose. I loved everything about them.

It will probably come as no surprise that Horton is my favorite character. He said what he meant and meant what he said. He was faithful 100%.
What is not to love about a character who has that attitude about life?

Are you a Dr. Seuss fan?
If so, who is your favorite character?

20 comments:

  1. Oh! Stephanie, I love Dr. Seuss books!!! I loved them so much growing up that my grandparents bought sets for my kids, when they were little.

    My favorites:
    How the Grinch Stole Christmas
    One Fish, Two Fish, Three, Four, Five Fish
    Green Eggs And Ham
    Hop On Pop
    If I Ran The Zoo

    My kids loved:
    Besides my list that I shared with them
    The Cat in the Hat
    Oh! The Places You'll Go

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    1. Those are some great books!

      Kathy, do you have a favorite character?

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    2. Hmmm... I would have to say, out of all those books, The Grinch. Because his heart grew and he became a hero to the merry folk of Whoville and cut their roastbeast. And he proves to kids that you can be anything you want to be, no matter what your circumstances are. ;)

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  2. I watched Danny DeVito on a morning show today and he is doing the voice of the Lorax. I really love the way he has portrayed the character. I just thought how timely your blog was with this movie coming out next week.

    I guess my favorite is the Cat in the Hat. I love the hi-jinx the cat gets into with those kids. I always wanted to be as free-spirited as the Cat.

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    1. lol, Cheryl, that Cat in the Hat is Satan's minon!
      I should have guessed he would be your favorite!

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    2. He may well be. Maybe that's why I have an affinity to him - Devil's Advocate.

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  3. Well. I am the spoiled sport here. I don't dislike Dr. Seuss. As a former children's librarian, I certainly recognize his contributions. And I do love to watch the animated movies as well as the Jim Carey "Grinch". I guess the reason I don't love his books is because I cannot read them aloud. I learned it the hard way the first time I tried to use one in story time. No, I did not go in ill prepared--at least I thought I hadn't. I'd read the books I was going to share--just not aloud.

    That's a whole different world.

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    1. Jean, I was thinking that I knew someone who didn't like the good "Dr." I couldn't remember who it was.

      Don't worry I still love you!

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  4. News flash! Johnny Depp set to portray Dr. Seuss in movie!!!! Be still my heart!

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    1. Well it's only fitting, right! Who else could do such a thing...?

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    2. I hope he has taken a bath since he was in that Pirate movie!

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    3. Johnny Depp cleans up nicely. He did a fantastic job in Finding Neverland!

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    4. Who cares if he dirty? ~g~

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    5. Who cares if HE'S dirty? ~g~

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  5. Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! This is my first year not being involved in reading at the Dr. Seuss Birthday Bash at one of the local elementary schools. I was always asked (because I was the local librarian) to be an official reader at the party. It was fun. The kids treated me like a celebrity and asked for my autograph and titles of my favorite children's books (Don Freeman's Dandelion, hands down). It made me feel pretty special, especially since the other official readers were local celebs for real... the Havocs Team, WHNT News Team and the likes.

    My favorite Seuss book is probably Horton Hears A Who, though I sure had a lot of fun with his lesser known title, You're Only Old Once! A Book for Obsolete Children. The fun was that I used it at the library to test the new shelvers to see if they were really reading the call numbers and shelving correctly. Invariably, the book would end up in the children's section and I would show them the trick. It was all in good fun to help them pay attention to detail. But I like the book too. It's just silliness only Seuss can deliver!

    Like Jean, though, Seuss is not for Storytime use. Ugh. I did the same thing....once, and never again!

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    1. Oh, I love Dandelion! Felt so sorry for him when his friends didn't recognize him!

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    2. I have never even heard of the Dandelion book. I will have to check that out.

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    3. Oh Stephanie! DO check it out! Dandelion is the greatest book EVA! Granted, it's a roller coaster through the emotions, but at the end it leaves you feeling ever so good! I love Don Freeman's other books too, but this is one I've always come back to since kindergarten! Rainbow of My Own and Norman the Doorman....love them too! <3

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  6. Great post. This was my quote to honour Dr Seuss http://caroleschatter.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/quotation-spot.html

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