I can remember being three years old, sitting on my twin sized bed with my sister and learning to read my first book. A Dr. Seuss book of course: it was “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.” This book was easy for me to begin reading because of all of the rhyming and the simplicity in the words. As a result of their simplicity, you would think Dr. Seuss’ childhood stories would fade out when we all grow up, but it seems that they always come back. Dr. Seuss has been incorporated in my life in some of the most unlikely places and the beauty of his work seems to be the silly rhyming that reminds us not only of childhood innocence, but also of the real themes and lessons that are instilled in us since our first reading of “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.”
As most of us know, Dr. Seuss died in 1991 and his last book was published in 1990, well before I learned to read. Given this, it is interesting to consider how Dr. Seuss remained so relevant even though he’s been gone for nearly 20 years. The answer is pretty simple. The lessons in his books stick with us, and due to this, they are passed down to children who love them because of silly characters, as well as the made up words and worlds. The characters are so loveable, and children want to cheer for them to be successful. I can remember when I was little and was reading “Horton Hears a Who” and being so nervous that Horton wouldn’t be able to save the Whos. My nervousness was the motivator that kept me so invested in the book.
Additionally, the mass markets of movies and musicals that Dr. Seuss books have been made into continue to spark the curiosity in children to read the books. I know that I look forward every Christmas to watching the original version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” with my mom, a tradition for us since I had the book read to me as a child. I had learned to love all of these stories that I read when I was little, and even though I am no longer that little girl with those big colorful books on my bedside table, I still find these stories showing up in my life.
The literary world has put so much into glorifying Dr. Seuss, and rightly so, by making so many of his books into movies and putting such a big emphasis on his birthday every year. This is an honor that not a lot of children’s authors or authors in general receive. Through our childhoods, we continued to encounter Dr. Seuss, and it seems that after we are considered adults, he becomes less important. But for me, and many others who developed a vivid imagination from the lessons of Dr. Seuss, I know that I will be passing his stories onto my children, and I’m sure many others of my generation will be doing the same. And all of this I believe, will keep Dr. Seuss relevant for a long time coming.
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