KNOCK, KNOCK. WHO'S THERE?

"We looked! Then we saw him step in on the mat! We looked! And we saw him! The Cat in the Hat!"


Happy Birthday to Theodor Geisel...Dr. Seuss!  (Read on to learn some interesting facts about Ted Geisel and to find out about a free downloadable gift that will help your child celebrate his birthday.)

[source]

"...it was The Cat in the Hat that solidified his reputation and revolutionized the world of children's book publishing. By using a limited number of different words, all simple enough for very young children to read, and through its wildly iconoclastic plot—when two children are alone at home on a rainy day, the Cat in the Hat arrives to entertain them, wrecking their house in the process—The Cat in the Hat provided an attractive alternative to the simplistic 'Dick and Jane' primers then in use in American schools, and critics applauded its appearance...

The enthusiastic reception of The Cat in the Hat led Geisel to found Beginner Books, a publishing company specializing in easy-to-read books for children. In 1960 Random House acquired the company and made Geisel president of the Beginner Books division." [source: The Poetry Foundation]

(These "beginner books" included: Green Eggs and Ham, Hop On Pop, Dr. Seuss' ABC, and Fox in Sox, to name a few.)  

A little bit of Trivia: Did you know Theodor Seuss Geisel also wrote some children's books under the pseudonym of "Theo. leSieg"? (LeSieg is Geisel spelled backwards.) A couple of these include: Ten Apples Up on Top! and I Wish That I Had Duck Feet.

What are your family's favorite Dr. Seuss books? Click here to read about our top three:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Horton Hears a Who!
If I Ran the Circus (this is also one of Weird Al Yankovic's favorite childhood books.  How do I know? He told me - here.)

So, who's there?  The Cat in the Hat?  Yes, and here's the gift:  to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday and "Read Across America" Day, you can download a free printable CAT IN THE HAT doorknob hanger for your child by clicking HERE.  There's also a two-sided version, HERE.

WHAT IF WE DIDN'T HAVE BIRTHDAYS...

If we didn’t have birthdays, you wouldn’t be you. 

If you’d never been born, well then what would you do? 

If you’d never been born, well then what would you be? 

You might be a fish! Or a toad in a tree! 

You might be a doorknob! Or three baked potatoes! 

You might be a bag full of hard green tomatoes.

Or worse than all that…Why, you might be a WASN’T! 

A Wasn’t has no fun at all. No, he doesn’t. 

A Wasn’t just isn’t. He just isn’t present. 

But you…You ARE YOU! And, now isn’t that pleasant! 

-Dr. Seuss

INSPIRED BY CRAZY HATS!

Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, loved to wear crazy hats to parties. When he was having a hard time coming up with rhymes, he would sometimes put on one of his many “thinking caps” for inspiration.  This tidbit of author trivia reminded me of the pink poodle in the beginner reader book, GO DOG, GO! -- which happens to have been written by a protege of Geisel: author and illustrator P.D. Eastman.  It's about all these zany dogs: green dogs, yellow dogs, big dogs, little dogs. Dogs who drive cars, dogs who ski. Where are they all going?  To a treetop dog party, of course!

Whether you use them as beginner readers or as read alouds, your and your children will love these enduring classics by Eastman as well:

ARE YOU MY MOTHER? A baby bird is hatched while his mother is away.  Fallen from his nest, he sets out to look for her and asks everyone he meets, including a god, a cow, and a plane: "Are you my mother?"

THE BEST NEST Mr. and Mrs. Bird's search for a "better" nest leads them to some peculiar spots.

SAM AND THE FIREFLY When Sam, the owl, teaches Gus, the firefly, to write words in the sky, cars crash, movies are free, and hot dogs are cold.