A visit with the doctor

Preschoolers have it pretty good when it comes to literature. Picture books with superb art and great stories are published every week. My kids had their favorites and I had mine. You probably did, too.

When I was a kid, I liked Ezra Jack Keats. Remember him? The Snowy Day and Whistle for Willie are the two mainstays. (These will be covered in depth in a future post.)

My kids liked writers/illustrators like Jon Scieska and Janell Cannon. Oh, and the Numeroff & Bond classic If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...

But nearly everyone loves Dr. Seuss. His books are found in practically every home in the United States. They're difficult not to like. And because the characters are usually fur covered and wear the occasional hat, they're not ready candidates to become dated.

My favorites as a kid were The Cat in the Hat and Hop on Pop! My son, Gabe, used to love Hop on Pop! He would giggle on every page, but none louder than at the beginning: "Stop! You must not hop on Pop!"

Now that I'm older, I prefer the allegorical stories from the good doctor, such as Yertle the Turtle and Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish didn't work for my story-driven brain as a kid. And that Sam I am, well, I did not like that Sam I am. But I liked the book well enough, but he did come across as pushy. The moment he rhymed box and fox and mouse and house, I think I would've decked him.

Let me know your favorite Seuss books (or Seuss library books, cause we all like those Berenstain Bears.) Better yet, go read your favorite Seuss books. And go buy them if you don't have them. There is nothing shameful in owning the classics.

I'll leave you with a Spanish quiz. What are the english titles of the following?

1) El Gato en el Sombrero (too easy)

2) Horton Escucha a Quien (simple)

3) Juevos verdes con jamon (sorry about the missing accents)

4) Hay un Molillo en mi Bolsillo (now this is translating)