I’m having a bit of a nostalgic week apparently. Yesterday I shared my thoughts on some modern children’s animated films and one of those was The Lorax. That got me thinking about the true magic of Dr Seuss. It’s remarkable the impact Dr Seuss books had on my childhood and how even today, I can recite some verses from memory. Today’s crumbs are a kind of ode to Dr Seuss. I’m sure I don’t need to convince people of his talent and influence, but perhaps we can reflect on his genius together.
An origin story
Dr Seuss is a pen name used by Theodor Seuss Geisel who was in advertising, of all areas. He wrote advertisements and illustrated associated cartoons for products such as bug spray and alcohol. Geisel was approached by a man called William Spaulding who was Director of the education division at Houghton Mifflin, a school. Following widespread concern in the US that children were falling behind in their educational achievement, Spaulding wanted Geisel to develop book that would capture the attention of children. He posed a challenge to Geisel to write a book only using words selected from a list of 236 basic words that should be part of every first grader’s vocabulary. It was a bit of a long shot but Geisel was up for the challenge, producing The Cat in the Hat. This wonder of a book, using only 236 different words, was published in 1957 and has reigned as a bestselling children’s book ever since. This success prompted another challenge to Geisel to write a book using only 50 words – an outlandish challenge that no one really expected to be fulfilled. But a master wordsmith wouldn’t let such a challenge go lightly, and Geisel produced Green Eggs and Ham in response. If there’s anything to learn from this, it’s that you shouldn’t underestimate Dr Seuss. Another lesson is perhaps that you can achieve a great deal if you apply the right kind of pressure.
Lasting relevance
Sometimes people produce creative that is timeless; magical content that is relevant and enjoyable for generations. The books of Dr Seuss are like that. They have helped children the world over learn to love reading and creativity. Many of the themes in Dr Seuss’ most famous books remain important to children of today as much as it was for children fifty years ago. Yesterday I mentioned how The Lorax articulated the destructive force of greed and capitalism on our environment if left unchecked. Oh! The Places You’ll Go is an inspiring book about the wonder life with its ups and downs. I think it’s super cool to have this kind of magical storytelling that can transcend generations so I could enjoy them with relatives and perhaps in the future with my own children.
Simple wisdom
It’s not uncommon for the logic and reasoning of children to produce profound statements of truth. Kids really do say the darnedest things. In Dr Seuss’ books there is that similar character of simple but wise life lessons. We’re all in the business of making things more complicated than they are, and this skill only becomes more refined as we get older. It’s refreshing to revisit the simple statements from Dr Seuss and remember the basics.
Consider how useful the following phrases are to both children and adults (perhaps, especially adults). You’ve probably heard these before, but they’re worth repeating.
- “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”
- “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
- “Today I shall behave, as if this is the day I will be remembered.”
- “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Thought Crumbs 