Wednesday 9 July 2014

Welcome to Seussville!

I can't quite believe it myself, but I've managed to get this far without a post on anything from the Dr (Seuss, not Who)! No Green Eggs and Ham, no Lorax, No Red Fish or Blue Fish. I find it hard to believe myself, but there you go; sometimes we neglect the things we love the most. Sorry about that.

If I'm honest, I really have to wrack my brains to think of childhood memories of anything other than a vague meeting with The Cat in the Hat, and perhaps with a Fox in Socks but it's all very vague. No, I'm an adult convert, straight down to the marvellous work that is Green Eggs and Ham.  Here's a picture of it.



Abigail was bought a copy of this by a friend of mine on a fairly frantic trip to Waterstone's when she was about two and a half. I thought it might be a bit long for her age but no, she took to it with delight and it was read over and over for many, many months. Quick plot run down: the pesky little Sam-I-Am pesters a rather grumpy grumpy thing in a hat to eat some green eggs and ham until he capitulates and decides he likes them. It was particularly effective in getting Abigail to try new foods, and we still say it to the girls now - You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say. I prefer some of the other lines, but I don't have the facilities for eating with various mammals or up trees, so that's the line I stick with. 

It wasn't until a good deal later that I found out that the book itself was written because of a bet between the author and his publisher, that Dr. Seuss couldn't create a book with only 50 words. Well, I'm sure you realise that he did. I'm very grateful for it, because it blows the idea out of the water that using simple vocabulary has to be in any kind of functional and boring manner. Reading should be FUN, and with this, it is.

We've since purchased a LOT of Dr. Seuss books because they deserve to be on our bookshelves, and I think he's a little neglected here in the UK, Grinches that we are!  If I haven't convinced you, then have a read of this review on Read It Daddy, it always makes me smile.

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