Kid Book Review Article
Dr. Seuss Books – A Great Starting Point
There may be no better way to get your children to pay attention to you than to spout out nonsense and silly rhymes. This is perhaps the reason that Dr. Seuss books have become a staple of children’s reading and a great starting point in the kid’s books section of the bookstore or library. What is so special about Dr. Seuss books that engage kids to participate and enjoy reading them, and why are they such a great starting point for reading education?
First of all, they are entertaining. Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel by birth) made up gibberish words to make things rhyme and to provide background for colorful pictures of nonexistent places and creatures that would keep kids interested throughout the book. Even adults often enjoy opening a Dr. Seuss book to see the brilliant colors and to reminisce over the times when they were young and enjoying the silly rhymes.
Dr. Seuss created rhymes that are entertaining but also provide a subconscious base for learning to read and spell. If you know “cat”, then you also know “hat”, “bat”, and “at”. He makes it simple to follow a pattern. Of course, it’s also enjoyable to read because the lyrical flow of the poetry and rhymes makes it slide right off the tongue!
The Cat in the Hat, while over 1,700 words long, actually uses only 223 words. It was created as a “reader”, an alternative to the old “See Jane Run” books that were not at all engaging or entertaining. Not only did Dr. Seuss create a masterpiece of fun in this hilarious book (and its sequel, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back), but he also incorporated an educational word list for basic Reading 101. Young people everywhere learned to read through such entertaining stories. Other books like One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish and Hop On Pop follow the same sort of pattern. In fact, Green Eggs and Ham is written with only 50 different words.
Another aspect of Dr. Seuss’s books that is important as a basis for young children is morals. For example, Horton Hatches the Egg teaches children the importance of both diligence and keeping promises. The Lorax and The Butter Battle Book also have moral themes. All the Thinks You Can Think and On Beyond Zebra stretch the imagination, and even Green Eggs and Ham teaches that you should always be willing to try something new.
Between the colorful illustrations, the funny invented words and rhymes, the format set up to assist in learning to read, and the moral education presented by his books, Dr. Seuss has created ageless classics that will be used as a basis for a reading list for decades and even centuries to come.
