Seuss on the Loose
- Steve McGarvey News & Culture Editor
- Published Dec 20, 2000
With the new movie version on the famous Dr. Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas raking in big bucks at the box office, we seem to have a heightened interest of late in the good doctor's writings. Judging by the amount of money this feature film is making, there are bound to be more "updated" versions. Already there are plans for a Cat in the Hat movie that will explore the "dark side" of the story.
Unfortunately, many kids in the coming years will opt for the new, glitzy version of these wonderful stories rather than the tried and true classics. It's up to us who remember the world of Seuss before Ron Howard and Jim Carrey got a hold of it to keep the Seuss tradition alive.
Due to Dr. Seuss' extreme silly factor, some parents hesitate to read his books to their children. While at their surface Seuss books might seem like pure foolishness, there are important lessons buried in the imaginary world of cats with hats, odd colored breakfast meats, and Grinches with hearts two sizes too small. As a child, I learned some valuable lessons from Seuss books, lessons that parents can single out. Consider the following ...
The Cat in the Hat
It's usually pretty easy to make a mess. It's not quite as easy to clean it up.
Horton Hears a Who
To quote directly, "A person's a person no matter how small."
Horton Hatches an Egg
Faithfulness and loyalty are more valuable than comfort.
The Sneetches
There will always be people who lord what they have over others. There will always be people who resent those who have more than they do. And there will always be people who play one group off the other for fun and profit.
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
Be careful what you wish for. Or maybe the lesson here is even the most powerful man on earth can't control the weather.
Green Eggs and Ham
Be willing to try new things once in a while.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
You can't control what happens to you in life. But you can control how you react to it. Also ... there's more to Christmas than getting presents.
Yertle the Turtle
Exalting yourself at the expense of others will eventually catch up with you.
Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!
Often in life you will be required to go places and do things you don't want to.
Hop on Pop
There is such a thing as too much fun.
There's a Wocket in My Pocket
The dark isn't quite so scary when you turn the lights on.
And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street
A vivid imagination is great, in the right context.
The Lorax
The world is filled with people like Al Gore. None of them should be president. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)
So if your out doing some last-minute Christmas shopping this week, you might want to consider a Seuss book for the children in your life. Silly? Yes, but a few valuable lessons might get stuck in their heads along the way.
Our reviewer gave the movie version of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas three stars. Find out more here.
Unfortunately, many kids in the coming years will opt for the new, glitzy version of these wonderful stories rather than the tried and true classics. It's up to us who remember the world of Seuss before Ron Howard and Jim Carrey got a hold of it to keep the Seuss tradition alive.
Due to Dr. Seuss' extreme silly factor, some parents hesitate to read his books to their children. While at their surface Seuss books might seem like pure foolishness, there are important lessons buried in the imaginary world of cats with hats, odd colored breakfast meats, and Grinches with hearts two sizes too small. As a child, I learned some valuable lessons from Seuss books, lessons that parents can single out. Consider the following ...
The Cat in the Hat
It's usually pretty easy to make a mess. It's not quite as easy to clean it up.
Horton Hears a Who
To quote directly, "A person's a person no matter how small."
Horton Hatches an Egg
Faithfulness and loyalty are more valuable than comfort.
The Sneetches
There will always be people who lord what they have over others. There will always be people who resent those who have more than they do. And there will always be people who play one group off the other for fun and profit.
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
Be careful what you wish for. Or maybe the lesson here is even the most powerful man on earth can't control the weather.
Green Eggs and Ham
Be willing to try new things once in a while.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
You can't control what happens to you in life. But you can control how you react to it. Also ... there's more to Christmas than getting presents.
Yertle the Turtle
Exalting yourself at the expense of others will eventually catch up with you.
Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!
Often in life you will be required to go places and do things you don't want to.
Hop on Pop
There is such a thing as too much fun.
There's a Wocket in My Pocket
The dark isn't quite so scary when you turn the lights on.
And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street
A vivid imagination is great, in the right context.
The Lorax
The world is filled with people like Al Gore. None of them should be president. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)
So if your out doing some last-minute Christmas shopping this week, you might want to consider a Seuss book for the children in your life. Silly? Yes, but a few valuable lessons might get stuck in their heads along the way.
Our reviewer gave the movie version of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas three stars. Find out more here.
