Reading with Dr. Seuss

Read Across America Day, which is celebrated on March 2 in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, symbolizes an effort by hundreds of thousands of people to carry on the fight against illiteracy. Reading to a child means not only a delightful time of sharing but also a time to show children the importance of books and reading. What better way to do that than pick up a book by Dr. Seuss?

Schools across America participate in this celebration every year by inviting special guest speakers, making Dr. Seuss inspired crafts, doing read-a-thons, and raising funds to buy books for those less fortunate.

I don't believe I ever outgrew my love for books written by Dr. Seuss. These were the books I cut my teeth on, they were read to me by my mom when I was young until they were eventually packed away for the day that I could read them to my own children.

Growing up poor has many disadvantages but one of the blessings of it is an active imagination. I grew up living the stories I read. The love of losing myself in a story has carried on into adulthood and I now act those stories out with my own kids.

When I became a mother all the books from my childhood were unpacked and cracked open again. Countless hours have been spent reading to my own children and Dr. Seuss books have become a favorite of yet another generation in my family. The funny characters found in these stories simply grab a child's attention and pull them in.

We can often be found in the kitchen dying our food and talking in Seuss-ism. We don't stop at Green eggs and ham (though that's a favorite) either. It is such a simple activity that was inspired by my oldest son who wanted green eggs and ham for his birthday one year. After getting into the spirit of it I discovered that ordinary foods are transformed with a bit of dye and a rhyme.

The games that are made up based on the rhyming principal amaze me. We spend hours in the car playing what my kids simply refer to as the rhyme line. Started with a single word and carried around the car until each person has added one new word it passes back to the first who now must form a sentence using all the words. Since the rules about proper English never apply during this game even the little ones get into the action throwing in words that make sense to only themselves.

I've spent more money than I care to think about buying reading programs and toys to help my children become stronger readers. More often than not I've found that my kids have no interest in these. They are drawn again and again to the unique style found in Dr. Seuss books. The rhyming words are easy to pick up, easy to copy and easy to remember. The stories engage even the most reluctant of children.

Once a child has discovered the beloved stories of Dr. Seuss they tend to look at things differently. It shows them the possibilities of "what if" and inspires them to turn their imagination loose.