Did you know? According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, Thirty-eight percent of all fourth graders in the United States can't read this simple poem:
The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play.
So we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day.
I sat there with Sally. We sat there, we two.
And I said, "How I wish we had something to do!"
-from The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss -
So we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day.
I sat there with Sally. We sat there, we two.
And I said, "How I wish we had something to do!"
-from The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss -
By reading to a child, you will increase his or her chances at developing a love for reading and writing. Begin the week by pledging to be a part of this Nation-wide event!
Yertle the Turtle
by: Dr. Seuss
Summary: Yet more wisdom cast down from high atop Mt. Seuss, this cheerful trio of tales teaches some valuable lessons in humility--thanks to a sharp-eyed worm, a bragging bear and rabbit, a fuzzy-tailed bird, and a couple hundred turtles led by their foolish King Yertle.Yertle the turtle is the king of the pond and not satisfied with his kingdom as it is. So he piles his subjects one on top of another until he can see as far as he can see, convinced of his superiority and ignoring the throne of turtles piled under his four feet:
His stands high on his perch until one subject, the unlucky turtle at the bottom who has been trying to negotiate with the king, sneezes and brings the hundreds-tall pile of turtles tumbling down. The king quickly learns his lesson. Dr. Seuss brilliantly shares impactful lessons through engaging, catchy stories that appeal to kids of all ages. (Ages 4 to 8)Your majesty, please…I don’t like to complain. But down here below, we are feeling great pain.
!!Fun Activity alert!!
Try to tie this book in with a rousing game of JENGA. That game is tons of fun without the book, think of the fun you can have with the idea of Yertle on top of the pile!
If I Ran the Zoo
by: Dr. Seuss
Summary: "It's a pretty good zoo," said young Gerald McGrew, "and the fellow who runs it seems proud of it, too." But if Gerald ran the zoo, the New Zoo, McGrew Zoo, he'd see to making a change or two: "So I'd open each cage. I'd unlock every pen, let the animals go, and start over again." And that's just what Gerald imagines, as he travels the world in this playfully illustrated Dr. Seuss classic (first published back in 1950), collecting all sorts of beasts "that you don't see every day." From the mountains of Zomba-ma-Tant to the blistering sands of the Desert of Zind, Gerald hunts down every animal imaginable ("I'll catch 'em in countries no one can spell, like the country of Motta-fa-Potta-fa-Pell"). Whether it's a scraggle-foot Mulligatawny or a wild-haired Iota (from "the far western part of south-east North Dakota"), Gerald amazes the world with his new and improved zoo: "This Zoo Keeper, New Keeper's simply astounding! He travels so far that you think he would drop! When do you suppose this young fellow will stop?"
Ironically, Seuss was trying here--in his wild, explosive, and sometimes careless manner--to celebrate the joys of unconventionality and the bliss of liberation! (Ages 4 to 8)!!Fun Activity alert!!
Talk to your child about how they would run the zoo. What would YOU do?
Scrambled Eggs Super
by: Dr. Seuss
Summary: Starring the same perky boy who captured Thing One and Thing Two in The Cat in the Hat, this is a first-person tall tale about cooking. Peter T. Hooper is bored to bits by his mother's habit of always making scrambled eggs out of hen's eggs. "And so," he informs his friend Liz, "I decided that, just for a change, I'd scramble a new kind of egg on the range." We're off on an epic journey to parts (and birds) unknown, all told in classic head-over-heels Seussian style: "Then I went for some Ziffs. They're exactly like Zuffs. But the Ziffs live on cliffs and the Zuffs live on bluffs." Finally, after capturing a small mountain of different types of egg--from Moth-Watching Sneths, Long-Legger Kwongs, and others--it's back to the kitchen for a 99-pan scramble, with all sorts of bizarre ingredients added just for fun. To be precise, it's time for "Scrambled eggs Super-Dee-Dooper-Dee-Booper, Special deluxe a-la-Peter T. Hooper." Somehow, you get the impression that Liz doesn't believe a word of it. (Ages 4 to 8)
!!Fun Activity alert!!
Consider having your child assist you in making your own super recipe with scrambled eggs. Set out a variety of adult-approved ingredients to add (probably not sardines or 55 cans of beans), and then let your child choose which ones to put in. Your child can help with the egg cracking, scrambling, pouring, and so on as appropriate. (Of course, adults are in charge of the stove.) Here I am making Teriyaki stir-fry eggs! Yum!
