Children's Books discussion

In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday (March 2nd), I thought I'd start a thread dedicated to his books. Do you have a favorite Seuss book? Did you love his books as a kid, or were you first introduced to them as an adult? Favorite characters? Here's your place to discuss them all!

Absolutely, I'm so happy you started this topic! This morning my Kindergartener was supposed to bring a favorite Dr. Seuss to school, and he picked Wacky Wednesday and There's a Wocket in My Pocket!. He thinks Wacky Wednesday is so funny for the pictures and Wocket in My Pocket for the absurd words.

I didn't grow up with Dr. Seuss myself, I only had The Cat in the Hat and I was vaguely familiar with the Grinch. But when my son was born I joined a book club to collect the Bright and Early books and they soon became an institution at our house. I totally credit Dr. Seuss (plus a couple of other factors) with my son's passion and precociousness for reading (at five now, he's reading about three years beyond his grade level). I just wanted him to love books, but he started sounding out words by himself around his 3rd birthday. But well before that he was already "reading" by memory his very favorite books at the time, such as In a People House, Ten Apples Up On Top!, Marvin K. Mooney (even if he couldn't quite say that name properly). Include also a couple of other amazing books from authors P.D. Eastman and Al Perkins: Go, Dog. Go! (what little boy doesn't just LOVE that book?!) and Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb. We probably read each one of these almost a hundred times.

My personal favorites would have to be Horton Hears a Who! and The Lorax, but the Lorax always makes my son cry, so he doesn't like it. But he's very attached to My Many Colored Days, which is a bit atypical for Dr. Seuss, and there are other books that seem a bit out his genre that we've enjoyed immensely, such as Come Over to My House. I could go on all day, as we have forty-some Dr. Seuss books on our shelf, and now that we've gone through so many "Early Reader" books, or books that are supposed to teach kids to read, I can appreciate the genius of Dr. Seuss even more.

There used to be a time when any Dr. Seuss book would do, as a bedtime story for my kid, but since he turned 3 1/2 he sort of demands to see a new picture book every night. We're making a lot of trips to the library, I can tell you. But he still picks up the Dr. Seuss books every so often. (And actually a few other books from his Bright and Early library as well ...) I think he likes the way it sounds when he reads them out loud by himself, the pace and the rhythm, the music of the words.

I go way back with the Doctor. McElligot's Pool was the first book to completely mesmerize me as a wee tyke. Then 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins got me. I heard Horton's Who and wore the Cat's Hat and helped the Grinch steal Christmas with my son.

I have used Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? very successfully in story times, having the children imitate the sounds with me.
As children, my sister and I had Horton Hears a Who! and Horton Hatches the Egg, both of which we both read numerous times.

My husband knows Fox in Socks: Green Back Book off by heart. It's our 6 year old's favourite book (and has been for quite some time!).

Ah, so good to hear from fellow Dr. Seuss fans :-) I always really enjoyed his books as a kid. Loved the rhymes, the awesome made-up words, and the creative creatures. For some reason, I never really warmed-up to the Cat in the Hat, though. I especially enjoyed the short stories like Gertrude McFuzz and The Sneetches and Other Stories

As a child, I tortured my parents with The Cat in the Hat, insisting that it was read to me nightly. As an adult and parent, my favorite has become Thidwick the Big Hearted Moose (I tried to name the dog Thidwick but was outvoted for a dwarf from the Hobbit) and we have the family tradition of reading Happy Birthday to You on the night of every child's birthday. I love that one. Also I have been known to give Oh the Places You'll Go as a high school graduation gift and am currently having all my kid's teachers sign a copy for the kids to receive as part of their graduation from high school gift :) I guess you can say that Seuss is an institution in our house. :)

I remember when I was around six, being taken regularly to a library that had an enormously picture book section, and regularly heading directly to the shelf of Dr. Seuss books, and completely ignoring everything else. My favorite (probably because it's one of the few that I owned) is The Sleep Book, which seems to be less well known than some of the others.

I've loved Dr. Seuss since I was a toddler. My favorite book was Marvin K Mooney Will you Please Go Now. My mom read it so many times she got sick of it and recorded herself reading it on an audio cassette so I could listen to it anytime I wanted. Ha ha

I got a lot of the beginner books (Dr. Seuss and others) as a child. Those books taught me to read. My favorite though is the Grinch. But I remember Bartholomew and the Oobleck. I have quite a collection of his stories.

My old favorite when I was young was definitely McElligot's Pool.

Okay, I just bought a copy of The Lorax today. It looks good. One of the few picture books I'll make a point of reading. ;)

I never read Dr. Seuss as a child but just discovered his books now that I have children. I found Green Eggs and Ham at a thrift store and decided to buy it since its so famous. And me and my daughter completely love it! It is so fun to read! I checked our library to try more. They only have Horton Hears a Who and The Lorax, but they are quite long. I am wondering if any of his other books are shorter because I can get my library to order them in. My daughter is only 3, but Green Eggs and Ham is the perfect length for her. Any suggestions would be great!

Dahlia ♥ Eliza wrote: " I am wondering if any of his other books are shorter because I can get my library to order them in. My daughter is only 3, but Green Eggs and Ham is the perfect length for her. Any suggestions would be great! ."

Hop On Pop
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Those are simple rhyming books.

I've never read Fox in Socks but that looks easy too. There are also several shorter picture books. The ones I remember, like The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham are designed for beginning readers.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Dahlia ♥ Eliza wrote: " I am wondering if any of his other books are shorter because I can get my library to order them in. My daughter is only 3, but Green Eggs and Ham is the perfect length for h..."

Thanks you! I will order those. 😊

Dahlia ♥ Eliza wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "Dahlia ♥ Eliza wrote: " I am wondering if any of his other books are shorter because I can get my library to order them in. My daughter is only 3, but Green Eggs and Ham is the p..."

Fox in Socks is great! Green Eggs and Ham is a favourite. Very catchy and fun.

Also Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? for making silly sounds.

The libraries here are dealing with the banned books in various ways. Some have library use only (possibly due to age), some are circulating and some are checked out or available to check out. I ordered some of them to be sent to the nearest library.

So far, our district is allowing check outs there is a long list of holds for them.

My local public library fortunately immediately released a statement that the six picture books would remain on the shelves but sadly, local school boards obviously caved and will be banning the books.

I know this thread is quite old but I couldn't resist it—I am a huge, huge Dr. Seuss fan even though I only became acquainted with his brilliant works last year (I'm 28 and I don't have any children, I read children's literature for my own entertainment—you know what I'm talking about, right?)

I've slowly started acquiring his books, I have about 20 of his stories so far, and of course, I would love to collect them all—although some of them are becoming impossible to find with the recent ban...

I love everything I've read so far from the classics—Horton Hatches the Egg, Horton Hears a Who, The Lorax, The Cat in the Hat—to the least known ones like Too Many Daves.

Ted Geisel was a genius in my opinion. His books inspired me to start writing stories in rhymes—something I never thought I'd be able to do—and to start learning illustration. He made me realize that you don't have to be a 'realistic' type of illustrator to create art that is memorable and enjoyed by people of all ages.

Lots of love for Dr. Seuss.

You're absolutely right, imo! Dr. Seuss's books, and many other children's books, can certainly be enjoyed by people of all ages.

And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
I read a recent edition (internet age) and not the original. The story is about the power of imagination and imagining what COULD be. I don't see any reason to ban the book. "A Chinese man eating with sticks" could be changed to "A Chinese man eating with chopsticks." His eyes are slants but he's smiling! The other characters have half moon eyes or round dots. None of those are realistic. If the APPI community feels that strongly about it, why not change the image or remove that and make it something else that rhymes or cut that rhyme out all together? It's ONE little picture at the bottom of the left hand page. That's it!

I flipped through an older book If I Ran the Zoo and I did see a problematical image of Chinese men sporting fu manchu mustaches carrying a Chinese styled lion. I would complain about that one too.

On Beyond Zebra! Flipping through I don't see anything problematic about this one.

I'll read them later and give a more detailed report. I also have McElligot's Pool

QNPoohBear wrote: "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
I read a recent edition (internet age) and not the original. The story is about the power of imagination and imagining what COULD be. I..."

There are often problematic images and themes in books. Should I want Rilla of Ingleside banned because of the nasty anti German sentiment? No, because it is much better to use problematic themes, contents and images as vehicles for discussion than to erase this and pretend nothing was ever wrong.

Manybooks wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
I read a recent edition (internet age) and not the original. The story is about the power of imagination and imagini..."

I agree—all of the aforementioned books could be used as a vehicle for discussion. We can't erase history, we can't erase racism (unfortunately), but what we can do is teach our children better. What I would say to my child is, "Dr. Seuss wrote these books during a time when racism was widely accepted. People didn't know any better... These inappropriate images you see are a reflection of those times. Today, we know that it's not right to portray someone that way... etc".

Denisa wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
I read a recent edition (internet age) and not the original. The story is about the power of imagi..."

My point exactly, and pretending away racism paints a very distorted and also dangerously wrong portrait of the past.

I think if people are going to complain, all the Seuss books need a note, like historical fiction has these days, that the people and animals portrayed in this book are used as a fantasy and any resemblance to people or animals, past or present, is a coincidence.

On Beyond Zebra!
This is a farcical fantasy and a lot of fun. It teaches kids how to put letters together and use their imagination to build new words (letters). I don't see anything problematic in this book except it's imaginative. I think kids are not encouraged to have imaginations anymore. Their grade school education is merely to past the standardized tests with emphasis on math and science and not to teach them to think or to imagine possibilities. I liked this imaginary alphabet and the silly things the boy comes up with. The artwork is very Seuss and since when is his artwork realistic?

I'm part way through McElligot's Pool (1993 edition) and I see one image of a vaguely Mexican man in "the tropics". He's wearing gaucho pants, has a mustache and a sort of sombreroish hat. The next page has Eskimo fish and fur clad people in an icy climate. Again, it's a child IMAGINING something. It's not realistic. The dog fish and cat fish literally look like dogs and cats.

Other possible content people will wank about:
fishing
people throwing junk into a (natural) pool
a factory with smokestack in the background
a train blowing smoke in the background
American flag waving in the background

So far I don't see anything truly offensive for a story that is fully speculation and imaginative. If a kid is THAT literal, they can look up what a dogfish, catfish, an Eskimo fish looks like and learn there's no such thing as an Eskimo fish and that Eskimo (or Esquimo) is a historic term used to describe indigenous arctic peoples. I'd rather my nephew learn something than not allow him access to this book. I will send these along with Grammie tomorrow when she supervises virtual school and see if he reads them and what they think. Nephew could use a little more imagination. His sister has imagination in abundance but he seems a little more serious so far. I haven't spent as much time with him as I did with her at the same age though. (They lived with us at the time).

If I Ran the Zoo
This one is the most problematic of all the 4 I have read so far. First, it's about a zoo. In the beginning of the book the animals at the zoo are kept in barred cages. At the end, the boy's imaginary zoo has animals in different types of enclosures : tall houses with bars on the windows the animals can stick their heads out of, water fountain enclosure and a cage like enclosure for birds and monkeys with widely spaced bars.

The story also involves hunting animals. They're imaginary animals but some of the places they're hunted are real. (I'm not sure if Seuss intended Nantasket to be real or rhyming so that one is iffy). There's a bad animal catching machine.

MOST problematic is
"I'll hunt in the mountains of Zomba-ma-Tant
With helpers who all wear their eyes at a slant,"

Ooh cringe! The illustration shows very Asian looking men with Fun Manchu mustaches wearing Japanese wooden sandals carrying a cage with bamboo bars and a Chinese inspired lion.
https://twitter.com/consciouskidlib/s...

More people in Asian hats appear late in the story. Also, the Desert of Zind features a man in a turban riding a camel like animal, the Mulligatawny.
https://twitter.com/consciouskidlib/s...

Also problematic for me is an image of a Russian man carrying a bird, the Russian Palooski. The man is wearing bullets across its chest and carrying a gun.

I missed this one, the African island of Mazurka
https://twitter.com/consciouskidlib/s...

I also didn't pick up on this Asian man carrying a bird for a white male child. That's very nitpicky.
https://twitter.com/consciouskidlib/s...

It's unfortunate Seuss enterprises has made a huge deal over banning the book because it's really quite clever with word play and imagination! Again, IMAGINATION!

Also lumping his political cartoons in with his children's books is comparing apples and oranges as is expecting a white man of the mid-late 20th-century to include diverse characters including LGBTQ+ characters. All the main human characters in these 4 books are white males, like Seuss. Some people expect too much of people from the past. Times change, attitudes change, we can learn from it and move on. If you don't like it, don't read it, don't buy it and let them cancel publication because sales are low. How many kids would even be aware of these stereotypes of real life cultures included in made up worlds?

I have to see if I can get the last two cancelled Seuss books from the library. There were a lot of holds and some were library copies only. In a few weeks I'll be able to visit the library in person again for limited browsing. I'm REALLY looking forward to that!

Denisa wrote: "I know this thread is quite old but I couldn't resist it—I am a huge, huge Dr. Seuss fan even though I only became acquainted with his brilliant works last year (I'm 28 and I don't have any childre..."

I completely agree. I came to the books quite late, and read them to my children, however I'm going to admit that I enjoy reading them for me too. Love some of the tongue twisters!

QNPoohBear wrote: "If I Ran the Zoo
This one is the most problematic of all the 4 I have read so far. First, it's about a zoo. In the beginning of the book the animals at the zoo are kept in barred cage..."

I was able to get a copy of this used, and while I still think that NONE of the Dr. Seuss books in question should have been cancelled, If I Ran the Zoo has definitely felt extremely uncomfortable and should only be read in conjunction with discussions regarding content and political incorrectness.

Have to say though that by making a fuss regarding these six books and having them being prohibited from further publication Dr. Seuss Estates and company have certainly made sure they are now lastingly popular and with in my opinion many more individuals interested in both reading and owning those tomes.

Manybooks wrote: "Have to say though that by making a fuss regarding these six books and having the being prohibited from further publication Dr. Seuss Estates and company have certainly made sure they are now lastingly popular and with in my opinion many more individuals interested in both reading and owning those times.

Agreed. In the past, problematic books have faded into obscurity and can be found in special collections only. The subscription library near here has a collection of older picture books. Those books circulate but not from the children's library so adults can find them if they know where to look. Seuss Enterprises should have gone that route. Making a fuss creates demand and causes a lot of tension.

I handed the other 3 over to my mom to share with my 7 year old nephew. I know they have some Seuss books and I'm sure he can read them himself now. I was curious what HE would think of them.

I asked my nephew if he read the Seuss books yet. My sister-in-law said they started McElligot's Pool and she picked up on Eskimo fish. My 12 year old niece read them all and she said she could easily see why they've been suppressed. They've been asking my nephew what HE sees that might make people feel hurt. I'm curious to see what he comes up with. My sister-in-law said it's good to see these books as they are and have that discussion. How else are we going to learn and move forward? I mentioned why I returned Zoo and didn't think her kids would like it. I think they would be upset by the idea of animals in cages and hunting animals.

Scrambled Eggs Super!
This is the same thing as the others-rhyming nonsense! It looks like Seuss wrote the last word of the rhyming couplet and worked in the rest. The illustrations are pretty typically Seuss with various types of birds. There's one illustration of "

The word "gay families" is used as in "happy." I have a feeling that word got the book banned. There's also an illustration of people in fur clad suits from "...Fa-Zoal./Within 10 miles or so from the North Pole/And they all of them jumped in their Katta-ma-side,/which is sort of a boat made of sea leopard's hide."

Another illustration shows a man named Ali in a turban.

Sister-in-law wants to give these a careful read.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Scrambled Eggs Super!
This is the same thing as the others-rhyming nonsense! It looks like Seuss wrote the last word of the rhyming couplet and worked in the rest. The illustrations..."

I guess it is deemed to difficult for parents etc. to explain to children that gay used to primarily mean happy.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Scrambled Eggs Super!
This is the same thing as the others-rhyming nonsense! It looks like Seuss wrote the last word of the rhyming couplet and worked in the rest. The illustrations..."

Appreciate your comments on these as I haven't read them. So, do you think this and McElligot's Pool are good books (the questionable content aside)? Are they among Seuss's stronger works? Or is it likely they would have faded into relative obscurity, anyway, simply because other books are better?

Kathryn wrote: "Appreciate your comments on these as I haven't read them. So, do you think this and McElligot's Pool are good books (the questionable content aside)? Are they among Seuss's stronger works? Or is it likely they would have faded into relative obscurity, anyway, simply because other books are better?

They certainly have their merits especially for children learning language and learning to read. The nonsense rhymes are silly and fun. There's no real plot, like The Cat in the Hat or The Grinch or some of his later books. I think the books would have faded into obscurity though if Seuss Enterprises hadn't made a huge deal about suppressing them. I couldn't get The Cat's Quizzer. I'll try again next week.

As a (retired) children's librarian, I think that they would NOT have faded into obscurity. Remembering how many people came to the library asking for Dr. Seuss books--any of his books, on a regular basis; all of his books were very popular over the 40 years I worked in various libraries. Parents who remembered them fondly from their childhood, wanted to read them to their own children.