In praise of Theodor Geisel

2 Mar 2011

March 2 is the birthdate of a true American icon: Dr. Seuss

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss

What is your favorite Dr. Seuss...

- Book?

- Character?

- Quote?

Do you still read Dr. Seuss as an adult?

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2 Mar 2011

I have to admit it's been a while here since I read any of the good doctor...

I think "The Cat In The Hat" stands out in my mind...though what the cat was doing in the hat, I haven't a clue...

I heard a rumor that someone was working on an adult middle-aged version of that story called "The Cat Got Too Fat To Fit In The Hat, And That Is That"...
Just a rumor, don't know if there is any truth to it...

I once knew a drinker who had a moderating problem...

2 Mar 2011

Quote by magnificent1rascal
March 2 is the birthdate of a true American icon: Dr. Seuss

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What is your favorite Dr. Seuss...

- Book?

- Character?

- Quote?

Do you still read Dr. Seuss as an adult?

Holy carp! I didn't realise that!

Book -- Cat in the Hat

Character -- The fish, of course!

Quote? -- Sorry, I cannot come up with one, since my memory is lacking, and I don't have a copy of The Cat in the Hat to refer to, but I will try to describe in its stead a scene and what it implies.

The picture is drawn from inside the house, and the dramatic tension is heavy because the house HAS to be cleaned up before Mother gets home. We see a woman's legs outside, rapidly approaching. Thing One and Thing Two have wreaked havoc, and all hell has broken loose, even if it was not described in those terms. Those kids are in trouble, and the prescient, erudite but physically limited gold fish knows it! What can he do to alleviate the terrible tension, and bring a satisfactory resolution to this dilemma?

I am certain that The Cat in the Hat helped to lay the foundation for my love of story telling, narrative, character and plot development, to say nothing of instilling an understanding in me of the overwhelming forces of fate and destiny, and of the feeble attempts of the humble, human or otherwise, to witness those things, and struggle against imminent calamity. Hubris, predestination, other wordly forces, struggles, temptation, rising tension... and so many other things. What on earth is missing in The Cat in the Hat? Not much. No one really needs dogs, right?

Do you still read Dr. Seuss as an adult?

Well if my absolutely adorable three year old twin nieces would give the books back to me, yes, I would! Besides, who knows if the story will work out the same way every time? That is one very good reason to reread stories, in my opinion.

2 Mar 2011

Quote by gypsymoth
The picture is drawn from inside the house, and the dramatic tension is heavy because the house HAS to be cleaned up before Mother gets home. We see a woman's legs outside, rapidly approaching. Thing One and Thing Two have wreaked havoc, and all hell has broken loose, even if it was not described in those terms. Those kids are in trouble, and the prescient, erudite but physically limited gold fish knows it! What can he do to alleviate the terrible tension, and bring a satisfactory resolution to this dilemma?

Oh dear, the poor fish! He really is in a pickle, isn't he? fish

Quote by gypsymoth
I am certain that The Cat in the Hat helped to lay the foundation for my love of story telling, narrative, character and plot development, to say nothing of instilling an understanding in me of the overwhelming forces of fate and destiny, and of the feeble attempts of the humble, human or otherwise, to witness those things, and struggle against imminent calamity. Hubris, predestination, other wordly forces, struggles, temptation, rising tension... and so many other things. What on earth is missing in The Cat in the Hat? Not much. No one really needs dogs, right?

If The Cat in the Hat is what laid the foundation for your work, then we have another very good reason to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Seuss.

hello1

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2 Mar 2011

To answer my own questions...

What is your favorite Dr. Seuss...

- Book? One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

- Character? The little cats from The Cat in the Hat. I don't want to play favorites among them, so I'll leave it at that.

- Quote? "From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere." - From One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Do you still read Dr. Seuss as an adult? Yes, indeed I do!

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2 Mar 2011

Quote by DirtyMartini
I heard a rumor that someone was working on an adult middle-aged version of that story called "The Cat Got Too Fat To Fit In The Hat, And That Is That"...

I'd like to read that one!

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2 Mar 2011

What is your favorite Dr. Seuss...

- Book? The Lorax (first published in 1971)

A boy (representing the reader) comes to a desolate corner of town to visit a being called the Once-ler (who is never shown throughout the book except for his arms and legs) and learns about the Lorax. After the Once-ler receives payment from the boy (consisting of 15 cents, a nail, and the shell of a great, great, great grandfather snail) he recounts on how he first arrived where they now stand, back then a beautiful forest of Truffula Trees, colorful woolly trees that were spread throughout the area and supported an ecosystem of fantastical creatures.

Do you still read Dr. Seuss as an adult? Yes, I have this one and The Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (for our Christmas Evening story telling).

2 Mar 2011

Quote by VanGogh
What is your favorite Dr. Seuss...

- Book? The Lorax (first published in 1971)

A boy (representing the reader) comes to a desolate corner of town to visit a being called the Once-ler (who is never shown throughout the book except for his arms and legs) and learns about the Lorax. After the Once-ler receives payment from the boy (consisting of 15 cents, a nail, and the shell of a great, great, great grandfather snail) he recounts on how he first arrived where they now stand, back then a beautiful forest of Truffula Trees, colorful woolly trees that were spread throughout the area and supported an ecosystem of fantastical creatures.

Do you still read Dr. Seuss as an adult? Yes, I have this one and The Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (for our Christmas Evening story telling).

I didn't think of The Lorax! It came out when I was too old to read Dr. Seuss, before I was old enough to realize one is never too old to read Dr. Seuss! Lwinking

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2 Mar 2011

I LOVE Dr Seuss! I read his books to my sons all the time. They're great fun.

My favourite is:

My favourite quote is from the same book: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

2 Mar 2011

My son loves Dr Seuss... I read one every day. Though his favourite seems to be "Are you my mother." and then throughout the day I am faced with "Are you my mother? Oh you are my mother" with a giggle attack followed.

3 Mar 2011

Here you go...

I once knew a drinker who had a moderating problem...

3 Mar 2011

Great Topic, M1!!1

- Book? Green Eggs and Ham(because I was kind of a fussy eater as child and could totally identify with it)

- Character? The Grinch(because he was wicked and then changed his life)

- Quote? - Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.

Do you still read Dr. Seuss as an adult? - No I haven't in a long while but I've just googled all this. I do adore kids and young adult books.

New Poem out

The Observer

3 Mar 2011

Quote by Lisa
My favourite quote is from the same book: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

I love that quote, Lisa!

In fact, I just might change my forum signature to it...

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3 Mar 2011

Quote by lovely_lady
My son loves Dr Seuss... I read one every day. Though his favourite seems to be "Are you my mother." and then throughout the day I am faced with "Are you my mother? Oh you are my mother" with a giggle attack followed.

I love giggle attacks! My daughter and I still sometimes fall victim to them — and she's 24. (Years, not months - LOL)

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3 Mar 2011

Quote by Louise
- Quote? - Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.

I think you think lots of good thinks, Louise!

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5 Mar 2011

Never read him but I love the rhythm of his sentences that I read in these quotes.

30 Mar 2011

The Cat in the Hat is hilarious. I loved that. Haven't read it in a while though.

1 Apr 2011

I've never read Dr Seuss, but I think I'd really like them books.

If you can read this I'll enjoy your company.

8 Nov 2011

I never read them as a child, but i do enjoy the movies that have been made from them.

We don't know how much we don't know.

25 Apr 2016

I grew up reading Dr. Seuss. I read him to my sons and grandchidren. His books and The Hobbit are the only book I know of that has stretched across three generations of my family and his writings still amuse us all.

You can't get there from here, because when you get there you're still here and here is now there.

16 May 2022

And here we are. Not even Dr Seuss is acceptable anymore.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the organization that owns the rights to the books, films, TV shows, stage productions, exhibitions, digital media, licensed merchandise, and other strategic partnerships, announced on March 2, 2021, that it will stop publishing and licensing six books. The publications include And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937), If I Ran the Zoo (1950), McElligot's Pool (1947), On Beyond Zebra! (1955), Scrambled Eggs Super! (1953) and The Cat's Quizzer (1976). According to the organization, the books "portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong" and are no longer being published due to racist and insensitive imagery.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana