I Don’t Like Dr. Seuss
Posted on March 1, 2010 by Suzan Woodard in Personal Experiences, Uncategorized.
Tags: Big Universe, children's authors, humor, Online Children's Books, Reading
It’s true. I don’t like Dr. Seuss.
There, I said it…on his birthday, no less. I imagine this is a form of blasphemy, a veritable act of treason, but I just had to get it off my chest!
While I mean no disrespect to Theodor Seuss Geisel himself – who was born on March 2nd 106 years ago in Springfield, Mass. – I have to be honest. His books creeped me out as a child. (They sit on the same memory shelf as “The Wizard of Oz” and all those flying monkey things.)
The stories involved naughty characters and scenarios of impending doom. It was a little much for a sensitive kid with a highly developed imagination, a quick trigger finger over the “Guilt” button, and a hyperactive sympathy response. (If my brother got in trouble, I would be the one crying when it was all over.)
In my world, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Horton Hears a Who” were horrible stories. A thief was going to steal Christmas, my very favorite day of the year, and a little miniature civilization was going to be crushed despite the efforts of a well-meaning elephant. Don’t even get me started on “The Cat in the Hat” stories or “Green Eggs and Ham!”
Those siblings in the Cat story were going to be in BIG trouble when their mom got home and found the house a disaster. The Cat and Thing One and Thing Two were uninvited guests and did not jibe with my inner “voice of reason” or my healthy fear of strangers.
And, for goodness sake, green eggs and ham? That entrée sounded particularly disgusting to a girl from a “clean-your-plate-or-you-do-not-leave-the-table” household.
The illustrations were particularly creepy to me, too. I did not find them funny or cute. I loved animals, but these characters didn’t look like the soft furry ones I knew and adored. A one-humped Wump? A virtually hairless Zed? Zaxes, zooks and sneetches? No siree, bob. Not for me.
Yup, childhood memories are powerful things. Although I grew up to be a reasonably well-adjusted adult, I simply could not overcome my feelings about Dr. Seuss’ books. So, I refused to read them to my children. (Did I just hear a gasp on a global scale?)
Lest you think my children were deprived, think again. The books would end up in our take-home baskets at the library, although I never personally placed them in there. Unlike me, my husband reveled in reading “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham” to our girls – over and over and over again. He can still quote passages by heart as can my girls!
I kept my prejudice to myself. An anti-Seuss sentiment just seemed so, well, un-American. I confided in my husband, but no one else knew. But, years have gone by and I have felt the urge to unload this heavy burden. My daughters are big girls now, young women of 16 and 19 years. I think it’s safe to purge. I think we are past the risk of leaving permanent psychological scars on them or impeding their education.
My name is Suzan, and I am a Dr. Seuss book hater.
I guess that means The Cat is out of the bag.
EDITOR’S NOTE: “Dr. Seuss” wrote and illustrated 44 children’s books during his lifetime. His works were turned into numerous TV specials, a Broadway musical and feature-length motion pictures. His honors have included a Pulitzer Prize, a Peabody award, two Academy Awards, two Emmys, and a whimsical sculpture garden was built as a memorial to him in his hometown. Despite my lack of appreciation for his well-loved rhyming schemes and quirky illustrations, his biography is fascinating and his contribution to children’s literature is unquestioned.
- To read more about this children’s literature giant, go to www.catinthehat.org.
- For a Level One Seuss word search puzzle, click here.
- Visit Seussville, a fun, interactive educational site for children.
- For additional reading fun, visit Big Universe, a source of children’s books online.
I completely agree with you! I completely didn’t get it when I was a kid, I just didn’t get it.
Now, since becoming a parent – I love the books and my kids have all loved the books – so we’re all good. LOL!
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You just took the words out of my mouth. I don’t like Dr. Seuss either. I don’t know how he got to be such a big children’s author. His books and cartoons are totally creepy! And like you said, the drawings out of a nightmare, lol!
Erica,
Is it any wonder that I don’t give a Horton’s Who about the new animated Seuss-based film “The Lorax”? But don’t worry, I still love the vast majority of children’s picture books, and I am all for a balanced approach to protecting our environment! …Just don’t need the creep factor.