March 02, 2012 
Rachel 
One of the most widely read children’s authors in the world, Dr. Seuss, would have celebrated his 108th birthday today. A cultural icon, one would be hard-pressed to find a child or adult who had never flipped through, read or recited, say, Green Eggs and Ham or the Cat in the Hat. I have no idea what my younger brother’s first word was, as it has always been attributed as “Ish,” one of the appropriately named characters of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.*
Theodore Geisel, AKA Dr. Seuss, revolutionized children’s literature. No longer were the stories, if you could even call them stories, of the plain and simple “Dick and Jane” variety. Children could now, and were encouraged to, use their imagination, make up silly words and rhyme to their heart’s content. Values and life lessons were still imparted, but now in a way that made children want to learn about them—reading could be fun and playful.
Browsing the various tributes to the good doctor today, I came across this fun assortment of Dr. Seuss trivia put together by Time magazine. Who knew that “Seuss” is meant to rhyme with “voice”! Trying it out, it sounds more like I’m impersonating Sylvester the Cat.
What are some of your favorite Dr. Seuss-related memories? I’m sure you have them
*My first word was “pretty,” thank you for asking.
I’m pretty sure I would not be half as silly as I am today were it not for Dr. Seuss books as a kid.
(My first word was “ducka”, which apparently was the name for my blanket.)
I once drank for free because I recited, from memory, the first 12 pages of The Dr. Seuss Sleep Book. “The news has come in from the County of Keck / That a very small bug by the name of Van Vleck / Is yawning so wide you can look down his neck.” And so on. Reading the same (great) book to the same (great) kid every night for months on end made that possible. That it was a slow evening at the Night Owl Cafe didn’t hurt, either.
When I was six I taped a penny to an order form I found in a magazine to join the Dr. Seuss book club. I was more than a little pissed when they sneaked in the Berenstain Bears.
When I was pregnant someone gifted me with Oh Baby the Places You’ll Go. When I first glanced at it I wasn’t impressed, thinking it was a gimmicky type of thing. Then my husband ( who I would have told you would hever do such a thing) sat down with me and read the book to our unborn daughter. I was just about to attribute the tears I cried back then to homones….but I’m tearing up just now as I remember this. Oh the estrogen. lol.
I love that your first word was “pretty”!
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