In the midst of Read Across America Week, thousands of schools, libraries and community centers will participate in Read Across America Day, an annual reading celebration on March 2 — Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
Twenty years ago, this nationwide initiative was chosen to be celebrated on Dr. Seuss’ birthday because of his role in children’s literacy and in inspiring children to read, said Philip Nel, an English professor at Kansas State University.
"He wrote books like 'The Cat in the Hat' and 'Green Eggs and Ham' to encourage children to read, to teach them that reading is fun," Nel said of the American author, formerly known as Theodor Seuss Geisel. He was born in 1904 and died in 1991.
While Dr. Seuss, one of the greatest children authors of all time, cannot take all the credit in driving children to read, Nel said he does believe Dr. Seuss changed the way reading is taught.
A picture of the Dr. Seuss stamp in October 2003, in Springfield, Massachusetts, by the U.S. Postal Service. Nathan Martin/AP Photo
"He wrote 'The Cat in the Hat' in response to the 'Why Johnny Can’t Read' crisis, and one of the reasons that people thought Johnny and Suzie were not learning to read was that the book they were trying to teach them to read were really boring."
Dr. Seuss’ rhymes and playful verses are an effective, fun technique for children to learn how to read, Nel said, and are just some of the reasons why Dr. Seuss’ books became, and still are, so popular and are common household staples.
"I think the verse propels you forward, the music of the language propels you forward, and the rhymes are teaching you how words sound; it’s teaching via phonetics instead of via memorization," Nel said. "(Dr. Seuss) was interested in rhyme, and sound and the music of language, and that’s what made his books much more fun and I think much more effective."
"Green Eggs and Ham" uses only 50 different words, which helps children learn, Nel said.
"I think that is why it became my favorite book, because it was the first one that I could read by myself," Nel said. "One of the nice things about it is that you keep meeting the same word over and over again and then you learn it. It’s a book that reaches the youngest Dr. Seuss reader because it’s easy to read."
Nel, whose books on children’s literature include "Dr. Seuss: American Icon," said not only did Dr. Seuss make reading fun and engaging, but the messages behind some of his texts were life lessons for children that carry over into adulthood.
"Green Eggs and Ham" encourages trying foods you haven’t tried before and being adventurous. Dr. Seuss also wrote political books with more specific life lessons.
One example Nel pointed to is the book "The Sneetches and Other Stories," which says people shouldn’t discriminate against people who look different than you.
Another is the classic tale "The Lorax," which was adapted as an animated film in 2011 and emphasizes caring for the environment.
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not," the book says.
So, while Dr. Seuss would have turned 113 years old Thursday, his legacy lives on as children this week read his memorable stories and stare at the colorful pages.
"I think we will be talking about him for a long time," Nel said.
Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated 44 children's books. "Green Eggs and Ham," published in 1960, is his most popular book. His thirteenth children’s book, 'Cat in the Hat,' was his second bestseller. The first book Dr. Seuss wrote and published was "And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street," which was published in 1937, even though he wrote an earlier, unpublished children’s book in 1931.