Today I want to talk a little about And to Think That I saw It on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss. This book was published in 1937 and was the first children's book Dr. Seuss ever had published.
And I love it.
It's a story of a little boy named Marco who is in possession of an outrageous imagination. The story starts out with the lines:
"When I leave home to walk to school, Dad always says to me, 'Marco, keep your eyelids up and see what you can see.'"
But when all Marco sees on his way to school is a plain horse and an old wagon, he quickly dreams up an entire parade complete with police escort and an airplane showering down confetti over the whole spectacle.
Did you know that Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss's real name) was rejected by at least 20 different publishers before Vanguard Press agreed to publish And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street? Apparently, one of the biggest criticisms of the book by potential publishers was that it lacked a clear moral message. Geisel has been quoted as saying to his wife in response to this criticism, "What's wrong with kids having fun reading without being preached at?"
And that's what I love about this book. It's just fun for the sake of being fun, and it encourages kids to use their imaginations which I happen to believe is very important.
Are you a daydreamer? What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book?
And that's what I love about this book. It's just fun for the sake of being fun, and it encourages kids to use their imaginations which I happen to believe is very important.
Are you a daydreamer? What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book?
I'll have to check out that book! Never read it. Ben has us reading ABC's and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish almost every night lol. Jon has the ABC's one memorized. I think my favorite is The Foot Book. I don't care for Green Eggs and Ham, it is sort of repetitive and I don't like to read it out loud for that reason lol.
ReplyDeleteOne Fish Two Fish was one of my favorites when I was a kid. That and Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now?! My dad probably still has both of those memorized. =)
DeleteWhen I used to babysit the three kids, I loved reading the ABC book to Jesse with lots of sounds. Books that you can really get into are fun :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, Dr. Seuss has my favorite ABC book. Other ones are boring, in my opinion.
Delete