This week we celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Across the nation, as we acknowledged “Read Across America Day,” I thought back to when I was a new mom, rocking and reading for so many hours. I remember the books that made my child’s eyes light up and the ones we all knew by heart because we read them over and over. As a parent, I came to appreciate certain books more than others. If I am going to be reading something repeatedly, I would like it not to be boring. When we were little, my sister and I had the best book of fairy tales. I remember the pictures were so magical. One of my favorites was, The Princess and the Pea. At bedtime, we would each choose a story for my mom to read. My sister frequently chose, The White Cat, which just happened to be the longest story in the book. Someone didn’t want to go to sleep. To this day, I’ve never read that fairy tale, or if I did, I don’t remember it. Weird choice. Sorry, sis. I know that had to be exhausting for my mom to read over and over again. Reading to my boys, I came to appreciate the stories that were fun to read. Maybe I got to do a fun voice or get lost in the silliness of dragons eating tacos. I appreciate the clever stories authors have given us to share with our kids. I did not know, for instance, that the crayons were on the verge of quitting until l read all about their list of demands in The Day the Crayons Quit. My oldest also recently asked me if I’d read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by A. Wolf. Clever. I have included links at the bottom of this post to both of these books in case you want to check them out. An extra bonus of course is if the story is educational in some way or emphasizes an important principle. Don’t even get me started on Pete the Cat. I love his shoes, his groovy buttons and the way he swooped in to save Christmas. My boys, probably like many of your kids, had some activities at school this week focused on Dr. Seuss and his many beloved children’s stories. When I think of my list of things as a parent that make a children’s book a keeper, I see why his books have captured the hearts of so many for so long. They are whimsical and fun, inspiring imagination and giggles. They are certainly educational and packed full of useful principles for our children to embrace. If I had ever gotten the chance to meet Dr. Seuss, I would have told him how grateful I am for his books, and here’s why.
Thank You For Encouraging Them To Try New Things
I’m leading with Green Eggs and Ham. For every parent who has heard, “Ewe! Gross, I’m not eating that!” we have this book to drive home a point that we have been trying to teach our kids. You can spend your life being stubborn and judging something by how it looks, or you can find out for yourself and make up your own mind. If I stayed away from things that were lumpy and green, I would never have experienced guacamole. Yikes! We are going through this almost daily with Graham, my youngest. My oldest is very particular too, though, and his approach to food is about as adventurous as a trip to a Papa John’s inside a truck stop. Although, in some cases, that can be quite an experience. Anyway, when it comes to food, our house is located at the corner of Plain and Persnickety. I do not ask that they clean their plates as I know there will be some foods that are not their favorite. I do; however, ask that they at least try everything. One bite never hurt anyone, right? Yet, the commotion you might overhear at our house during dinner would suggest otherwise. Their vegetable game is weak. We eat a lot of green beans, carrots and baked beans. No potatoes though. I do think things are getting better. Graham has expanded his protein options and getting him to try new things is not as quite a struggle as it once was. Wood will eat a few casserole- type dishes that have things like black beans too. Recently they both told me that spinach was ok because they could not taste it in the dish we were eating. I’ll take it. I am going to share a chicken parmesan recipe below that my pickiest eater (Graham) said he loved. He actually came up to me in the kitchen, hugged me and thanked me for making it. This is particularly impressive considering chicken is his least favorite. This recipe got two thumbs up, so it gets a PEP (Picky Eater Plug). Keep it up moms! A big thank you to Dr. Seuss for Green Eggs and Ham that reminds me not to give up and reminds my boys to be more adventurous.
Maybe one day we too will hear,
“Say, I do like this chicken recipe! It’s the best!
Thank you,
Thank you,
Mommy chef!”
Thank You For Showing Them The Value Of Sticking To Their Word
We want to raise our boys to be credible and follow through on their commitments. In only the wonderfully, whimsical way that Dr. Seuss can, he illustrates this character trait in Horton Hatches the Egg. Horton, a sweet, and really large elephant gets recruited to sit on an egg to give the mama bird a break. He sticks to his word even when it’s obvious she isn’t coming back. He sits and he sits through all sorts of interesting and unpleasant situations. I love all the great teaching points in this story. Keeping your word when you commit to something. Sticking with it, even when the person you’ve made a promise to has not necessarily held up their end of the bargain. Hanging in there, even when things get hard or it has not gone the way you expected. Persevering even when others may say you have every reason to quit. Sweet Horton sticks it out and his reward is nothing short of a miracle, a baby elephant with wings! I love football (stay with me) and I love a good, inspirational story too. I can’t help but think of Rudy. I specifically remember the scene when he sacks the quarterback in practice, who then gets mad at him. The coach intervened and told the quarterback if he had a 10th of the heart that Rudy had, he would be all-American. Rudy was small and not even enrolled in the University of Notre Dame, but he had a dream to play football there. He did not quit, no matter how many people told him he was crazy or how difficult it became. He finally got his grades up and got accepted. He tried out for the team and his ‘no-quit’ attitude combined with constantly giving 100% earned him a spot on the team. So, there he was, the last practice of the season sacking the quarterback. After facing and overcoming more hurdles, with the help of his loyal teammates, he got to play for 3 plays in a game on the field he’d been dreaming about. He was carried off the field and while the true story is probably not as dramatic as the film, everyone tears up during that scene and it is still inspiring. When you commit, give it all you’ve got and don’t give up no matter what. Thanks to Dr. Seuss, we have a unique, fun story to share with our kids that helps get the conversation started about following through on commitments. So, we are going to read Horton Hatches the Egg at our house…and watch Rudy.
Thank You For Helping To Build Their Confidence
One of the things I love so much about childhood and watching my boys grow is seeing things through their eyes. Right now, anything is possible. Magic is real. They aren’t quite sure if I am joking when I tell them that I am a superhero because deep down, they believe Spiderman may be out there somewhere swinging from building to building. Right now, it’s fun. I tell them, “Of course I’m a superhero. Where do you think you get your super-fast speed from?” Right now, they think I can do anything and so can they. Sometimes as a mom, I do wish that force field thing were real. Just think of all the situations when activating that would come in handy. There are pieces of that mindset; however, that I never want them to lose. I want them to believe in themselves. To know they are capable, that we believe in them, support them, and they are destined for great things. Marvelous adventures await. As Dr. Seuss would put it, Oh, The Places You’ll Go! This book is one huge confidence boost from the first page to the last. Children need to hear that they are special and there is a unique and wonderful path that belongs to each of them. Playing on a team, climbing to new heights, reaching their goals and seeing new sights. It also points out there will be times they don’t succeed. Times of struggle and situations that will not be fun. Times when they may not know which way to go and have no idea what to do. Life isn’t fair and it’s full of ups and downs. Grins and frowns. OK, I’m starting to rhyme now. What I love about this book is the fact that it paints that honest picture all the while encouraging them to keep going and reminding them they can do and be anything. That’s exactly what we want as parents, right? To adequately prepare them for life so they are ready to set off and know that in us, they have their biggest cheerleaders. Yep. I think Dr. Seuss nailed it.
Thank You For Guiding Them To Consider The Impact Of Their Actions
Being the mom of two boys, I have a healthy knowledge of dinosaurs. If you read my “Year of the Dino,” post, you know that’s an understatement. One of the great quotes from Jurassic Park is when Ian Malcolm says, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” In The Lorax, Dr. Seuss, it seems is making that same point. How many habitats are disrupted in the name of development? How much beauty is sacrificed for progress, invention or profit? If potential consequences are not immediate, a lot of times, they are ignored altogether. In The Lorax, the main character tells the story of how all the Truffula trees disappeared. He reflects on the fact that the decisions he made to grow his business many years earlier had a devastating impact. On everyone and everything. His desire to grow bigger, faster, in order to make more money wreaked havoc on the resources and ultimately, the whole region. There is no way I could go into all the very real, relevant examples of this today. To focus on my boys, though, what I want them to learn is to consider. Consider the situation of those around them and take note. Consider their words carefully, before speaking. Consider the impact their actions may have and do their best to work with people instead of running over them. Consider the cost of every perceived gain. Thoughtfully consider everything. Could he have had a successful business without destroying the trees? Probably. While there is no small, round, yellow guardian of the forest who speaks for the trees, there are people who know a lot more about things than we do, and we should listen to them. Especially if we are on their turf. As we reflect on the wins and losses of life, I would argue that what is sometimes most regrettable is the way we played the game, more so than the outcome. Good lesson, Dr. Seuss.
Thank You For Reminding Them That Rainy Days Can Be Fun Too
Dr. Seuss gave us the beloved, Cat in the Hat. This story starts off with a boy and his sister bored on a rainy day. Insert the master of rainy-day fun along with the famous blue-haired pair, Thing One and Thing Two. Things get a bit crazy and giant messes are made. The kids (and their pet fish) are kind of afraid. There I go rhyming again. It’s all Dr. Seuss’s fault! His books are so silly and fun! Just in time, before mom comes home, the Cat in the Hat cleans up all the messes and puts everything back in its place. When their mother walks in, she asks what they have been up to. Dr. Seuss then poses the question, “What would you say?” This book is classic Dr. Seuss with crazy characters and bizarre situations. Good, silly, fun. However, I like the fact that it points out the imagination you can use on a rainy day to have great fun indoors. Also, messes will be made. We got one of those fort building kits like the one in the link below because my youngest enjoys that kind of play. You can construct all sorts of shapes. One day we made a castle and then we turned it into an igloo. Later we made a pirate ship. We just kept adding all sorts of things to it. Captain Graham kept saying, “Now mommy, we need a (insert just about anything).” We had weapons, a sheet for the bottom of the ship, and we even had to figure out how to attach a flag. We got our hats and swords and took to the seas stealing all kinds of loot from unsuspecting ships. We made a mess, but it’s ok! Kids should be kids. They should get dirty, make messes and have fun doing it. But don’t forget to clean it up, just like our beloved Cat in the Hat reminds us, and always…always, tell your mom the truth!
There is really no way to cover all the wonderful things that have been enjoyed by readers of Dr. Seuss books for decade after decade. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is enjoyed every year as a holiday tradition at our house. We love Ten Apples Up On Top and it is still a great way to do some crazy counting with your little one. Who could forget One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish? We love to play ‘Ring the Gack,” at our house too. Graham wanted to get a moose, but a moose is way too big. A gack; however, is the perfect size. While our pink ink below is more of a berry color, our little one who winks is much cuter than a Yink, don’t you think?
I hope you have enjoyed reading some of these beloved stories with your kids this week. I’m grateful to Dr. Seuss for invaluable imagination that comes to life in his books that are full of ridiculous rhymes, crazy characters and meaningful messages for our little ones.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself ANY direction you choose.”– Dr. Seuss
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”-Dr. Seuss
“From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.”-Dr. Seuss
What are your favorites?
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
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