Zizzer zazzer zuzz: Part One

What would a blog about children's books be without a few entries about good ol' Dr. Seuss?  My Dr. Seuss knowledge was rather limited.  I knew his name was really Theodor Geisel and that he had attended Dartmouth.  I got copies of Oh the Places You'll Go for my graduation from high school, college, and grad school.  Like anyone around these parts, I've read all kinds of Dr. Seuss books—everything from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish to Horton Hears a Who.  And each year I watch, and adore, The Grinch who Stole Christmas.  But that's about as far as my Dr. Seuss knowledge went (key word went!).

I read two biographies on Dr. Seuss.  The first, Theodor Seuss Geisel by Donald E. Pease, was pretty ho hum.  The second, The Seuss, the Whole Seuss and Nothing But the Seuss by Charles D. Cohen, was filled with such minutiae that it was kind-of a cumbersome read.  If you want to get the basics, I'd go straight to wikipedia for a really great overview—better and simpler than either of these books.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss

I'll let you discover the biographical details yourself if so inclined and leave you with the points that jumped out at me:

1. The house in which he was born still has drawings of the fantastical animals he created adorning the walls.  Can you imagine being the little kid that lives in his house?

2. He was a very successful advertising and political cartoonist, long before he became Dr. Seuss.  I had NO idea.  I wish Ted was alive now—we would have some amazing cartoons depicting tea party politics, occupy Wall Street, etc. 

3. He is truly brilliant at what he does!  In my opinion, he is a very gifted wordsmith, artist, and creator.  His biggest strength, weird animals with fun names like the Foona Lagoona Baboona,

4. Although he had some racist and anti-Semitic moments, he later picked through his books, making sure they were not offensive.  I find that VERY impressive.  He definitely went up in my esteem as a very thoughtful man willing to make repairs and really think through situations.

5. Some of  his characters have names that have become actual words, like in The Shape of Me there is a character named a Blogg.  Ha ha!  And Ooblek?   I found the recipe in a craft book and made it for Mirette.  If you haven't tried it yet, it is messy but great fun on a rainy day—just add water and corn starch.  I didn't know the word came from the book Batholomew and the Oobleck.  The word Nerd first appeared in If I Ran the Zoo.

6. Many of his images are used again and again—like craggy mountaintops.

7. Finally, he used to make up fantastical stories for his interviewers, never giving them a straight answer.  For example, when asked how he came up with his ideas, he would say, "In a little town near Zybliknov, where I spend an occasional weekend."   I imagine him being great at dealing with today's aggressive paparazzi.

8. Here's some Dr. Seuss websites for you:

Seussville is filled with information and games. It's an on-line Seuss world complete with parent information, curriculum ideas for teachers, all the characters, books, games, activities, and anything else Seuss.

http://www.seussville.com/

Some samples of his political art:
http://www.americanartarchives.com/seuss.htm

Seriously ironic, the Dr. Seuss collection is coming to Chicago and I happen to be going there for Thanksgiving—a must-see for our family!

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-13/entertainment/ct-ent-1013-museums-dr-seuss-20111013_1_seuss-landing-seussiana-theodor-seuss-geisel

Book of the Day: Bad Frogs

Bad Frogs
Thacher Hurd
Candlewick Press, 2009

It's been harder to find time to post than I thought it would be (even hard to find time to take a shower)!  Adjusting to being a stay-at-home mom has been a tad bit difficult both logistically (where's dad?) and emotionally (what's my identity?).  But it's only week one and I am taking it slowly.  

This blog is very compelling to me (as an antidote to making bottles and changing diapers) and I am making all kinds of unique and charming discoveries which I am excited to share!

One thing I have found is that these very famous authors and illustrators often have children that write books and/or illustrate.  

For example, Clement Hurd, the illustrator of Goodnight Moon, and his wife Edith Thacher Hurd, also an illustrator and author, had one son named Thacher.

He wrote and brightly illustrated a bunch of sweet, colorful books: Art Dog, Sleepy Cadillac, and Bad Frogs.  I love Bad Frogs.  Its plot is about a bunch of funny green frogs who are bad.  "Could they be good?  Could they be quiet?  NO WAY!"  It's really fun to read and Mirette thinks it's very funny.

Disclaimer: Steve just told me he doesn't like this book.  He doesn't like the labels "good" and "bad."  He thinks the bad frogs are doing things that a typical teenager would do like staying up late and kissing their girlfriends.  He has a point, but I'm still going with cute, funny, and fun to read aloud.

Thacher has a colorful website and blog: http://thacherhurd.com/.  Through this, I discovered that Art Dog is coming soon to the Seattle Children's Theater.  I will definitely be there!