“A person’s a person, no matter how small!”
Said the elephant Horton, and thus taught us all
To look out for each other through thick and through thin
And speak up when we see someone lost in the din.
But you see, Dr. Seuss wasn’t always so smart—
He’s gotten in trouble for out-of-touch art.
For a few of his books feature racist depictions,
Alongside his wordplay and fanciful diction.
It creates quite a mix of some good and some bad—
But that’s part of what makes reading books just so rad!
Because you get to see, and then you can decide
What of Seuss is worth reading… and what’s put aside.
Dr. Seuss was a master of writing in verse,
(Anapestic tetrameter, for what it’s worth)
Infusing his words with a musical flow
With magical creatures and places to go—
But it’s important to think, not just go for the ride,
And really consider how you feel inside.
How these images add, and what they take away
From what would be otherwise harmless, fun play.
Can the virtues advance while the relics stay buried?
How to move towards a future where morals are carried
Through the minds of new kids who are eager to learn
That in fact, reading’s fun if you give it a turn?
So this reading month let’s revisit the best,
And remember the way that it feels in your chest
When your heart grows three sizes, and a mischievous cat
Shows up to your house in a red and white hat.
Seuss wasn’t a doctor (he tried and he stopped)
But he knew people down to the very last drop.
Seuss’s dad was a brewer; his gramps was one too,
But Theodor made silly rhymes and cartoons.
He made up new words such as Thingamabobsk
Which didn’t exist ‘til he rhymed it with Obsk.
Because nonsense will draw your attention to rhyme,
The way words go together and change all the time,
And silliness helps us to make phonics fun,
Makes the pages turn fast—‘fore you know it you’re done!
Silly opens up doors! Even ones made of brick!
Even ones that are thicker than thickity-thick!
It’s a joy to be silly and easy to rhyme
If you’re not stuck on “real” words all of the time.
Dr. Seuss was not first to write nonsense this way,
To tie reading instruction so tightly to play.
But he did lead the way through color and fun
Far from Jane, Dick, and Harry and old Run Spot Run.
Mo Willems and Lobel and sweet Sandra Boynton,
And Santat, and Bob Shea and many more joined in.
Oh so many others, an unfathomed number,
And not one of them looking to steal his thunder—
Just to share the umbrella he also stood under.
With the Lorax and Gertrude Mcfuzz and the Whos,
Stand the Gruffalo, Pigeon, and Pete the Cat’s shoes.
And also with me, and also with you
And also with everyone else at the zoo.
So try Dr. Seuss again, we hope you do!
But if you are concerned it just wouldn’t be right,
Our librarians happily will show you more sights.
Want to know more about Dr. Seuss?
Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination
The Seuss, the Whole Seuss, and Nothing but the Seuss: A Visual Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel
Add a comment to: Dr. Seuss: The Good, the Bad and the Silly