Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss! Visit Seussville on Read Across America day
Each year, the National Endowment for the arts marks March 2, the birthday of the late Theodor Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, with Read Across America Day. The program, which promotes activities in schools, libraries and other organizations, is designed to give kids a love of reading. It's also a good excuse to visit Seussville, where you can read about the Massachusetts-born author, recall his playful genius with a Quotemaker machine and play games such as One Fish, Two Fish Concentration. His books are timeless. I enjoyed them -- my favorite was "And To think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street" -- and so did my children.
Meanwhile, don't forget to recite the Reader's Oath, which has a Seuss-like ring:
I promise to read/Each day and each night.
I know it's the key/To growing up right.
I'll read to myself,/I'll read to a crowd.
It makes no difference/If silent or loud.
I'll read at my desk,/At home and at school,
On my bean bag or bed,/By the fire or pool.
Each book that I read/Puts smarts in my head,
'Cause brains grow more thoughts/The more they are fed.
So I take this oath/To make reading my way
Of feeding my brain/What it needs every day.
Comments
I love Dr. Seuss, his rhyming style revolutionized kid lit. His made up words and poetry make perfect sense even though they don't. But there's a big problem in his stories-- the girls are missing. They're so invisible that going into Seussworld becomes creepy, like being transported to a dystopia where females don't matter at all. A girl character sneaks her way into Seuss stories now and then, but just like the guys at Pixar and Disney- Seuss is so creative in so many ways, but becomes trite and cliche when it comes to gender? Why is it so beyond the male imagination to create a magical world where girls and boys are equally important? More on my today's blog post at Sf Gate http://bit.ly/91gWl3 and my blog ReelGirl that rates kids media and products on girl empowerment http://margotmagowan.wordpress.com
Posted by: Margot Magowan | March 2, 2010 2:16 PM
I'd like to vote for "I can read with my eyes shut." A daily favorite in our house.
Posted by: Herbert | March 2, 2010 3:50 PM
Dr Seuss was a Trending Topic on Twitter today http://bit.ly/98RjsK
Posted by: Andrew Sansone | March 2, 2010 3:59 PM