One hundred and eight years ago today, Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. You know him better as Dr. Seuss. In the 87 years he was on earth, he wrote 44 books for children – most under the Dr. Seuss name, but a dozen or so as Theo Le Sieg (these were books he wrote but did not illustrate) and one as Rosetta Stone (didn’t know about THAT one – did you?).
I LOVE Dr. Seuss. My kids love him too. Favorites at our house have included Fox in Sox, Green Eggs and Ham, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? The Nose Book, and The Cat In The Hat. And others, of course!
For so many children, Dr. Seuss books were the first they were able to read - and with their repetitive words, rhyme and meter, even if they couldn’t read them, they could recite them. And they are FUN! (whether you’re 2 or 102!)
What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book? What do you think we can learn from Dr. Seuss for our own writing?
Related posts:
10 Comments until now.
My favourite was green eggs and ham,I loved going into our school library and reading all of those books. I think the message of inspiration for me is to always keep it simple,that way everyone is able to understand your message no matter where they are at.
Susan
Two quotes by Dr. Seuss on writing stand out for me:
“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.” ~ Dr. Seuss
and..
“Writing simply means no dependent clauses, no dangling things, no flashbacks, and keeping the subject near the predicate. We throw in as many fresh words we can get away with. Simple, short sentences don’t always work. You have to do tricks with pacing, alternate long sentences with short, to keep it vital and alive…. Virtually every page is a cliffhanger–you’ve got to force them to turn it.” ~ Dr. Seuss
Any way that’s my two coppers on Dr. Seuss.
~George
Love these thoughts, Susan and George – I’d never seen either of those quotes, George. Neat.
My favorite book is “Horton Hatches an Egg.”
“An elephant is faithful one hundred percent.”
Ah, Dr. Seuss. I’d have to say Green Eggs and Ham is the book I remember most clearly, probably because my dad’s name is Sam. : )
My favorite Dr. Seuss book was “If I Ran the Zoo.” I loved all of the wacky animals and the drawings of far-out places. I loved how he made up names and words. And also that a KID had control over something – if only in his imagination.
The quote from George is from a short, condensed poem Dr. Suess wrote in praise of Reader’s Digest condensed books. The poem goes like this:
It has often been said,
there’s so much to be read,
you never can cram
all those words in your head.
So the writer who breeds
more words than he needs
is making a chore
for the reader who reads.
That’s why my belief is
the briefer the brief is,
the greater the sigh
of the reader’s relief is.
And that’s why your books
have such power and strength.
You publish with shorth!
(Shorth is better than length.)
Love it!
I don’t know that I could choose just one favorite Dr. Seuss. But one sure takeaway is to have fun with our writing, be a little silly even. If we have fun writing it, readers may just have reading it!
The Cat in the Hat because it’s all about imagination.
Oh, the Places You’ll Go!!
It is a lesson in life for sure.