For Christmas, I got the kids several Dr. Seuss books. One of them was The King's Stilts. We have read it several times now, and it's a really great one!
The Story: The King of Binn works very very hard. He is up at 5 in the morning, working. He works all day, to keep the kingdom safe from the threat of the horrible Nizzard birds that peck at the Dike trees that protect the kingdom from being flooded. But when his work is done for the day, the King loves to roam about on his beloved stilts. All of the people in the kingdom find the King's stilting hobby endearing and love him all the more for it. All of the people, of course, except for the sour Lord Droon. He thinks that the stilts are far too much fun, and might cause troublesome smiling. So, he decides to steal the stilts and orders the King's paige boy, Eric, to bury them. Eric doesn't want to do it, because he knows how much the king loves his stilts, but he is forced to obey. Without his stilts, the King becomes despondent. He can't bring himself to do his work with the same enthusiasm as he had before, without his stilts to look forward to. The Kingdom is in terrible trouble, without the King working to fend off the Nizzards, and Eric decides to defy Droon and return the stilts to the King. With his stilts back, the King regains his vigor, the Kingdom is saved, and Droon is duly punished.
The Good: It's a prose-style Seuss, which I like quite a lot. The message is clear - All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and King Birtram a poor king. The illustrations are, of course, wonderful. Eric is akin to Bartholomew in his rank and determination to save the kingdom he loves. The kids have asked me to read this book three nights in a row.
The Bad: I can't think of much bad about it, unless you don't like prose-style Seuss...
The Verdict: A wonderful addition to any Dr. Seuss library. It's not a very well known one, but it's worth owning. I've already gotten the kids to do their chores with a little less argument, reminding them that they can play when they are done working. That's always a good thing.
Showing posts with label Dr. Seuss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dr. Seuss. Show all posts
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Dr. Seuss: Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!
The nice woman working in the children's section of the bookstore recommended Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! and I decided to give it a try, since I haven't met a Seuss I don't like.
The Story: The school in Dinkerville is different. The teachers teach things like poodle identification and painting pictures while hanging upside down. The students are happy and enthusiastic, until one day, the principal comes and tells them that they have to take a test. If they fail this test, their school will be closed and they'll be forced to go to the dreary, boring Flobbertown School. The students are scared, the principal is nervous, but the teacher is sure of the children - because they have been taught, among other things, how to think. She is sure that they will pass any test, because they have been well-armed. She was right, and the children get the highest score on the test, saving their fabulous school. The principal declares it Diffendoofer Day, and everyone rejoices.
The Good: This book emphasizes how important it is to learn to think for yourself, instead of just memorizing facts. If you are well armed to use your brain, you can do anything. The book was finished after Dr. Seuss' death (from some of his notes) and the illustrations are not typical Seuss, but they are fun and colorful. It's a really fun book.
The Bad: I can't think of anything, other than the fact that it might make you grumpy about the state of so many schools today, where memorization of rote facts seems to be the norm. The purist Dr. Seuss fan may have issues with the non-Seussical illustrations.
The Verdict: I want to share this book with everyone I know. It's not that long, and it's got a great message. Learn to use your fabulous brain, and anything is possible! Thank you, Book Store Lady!
The Story: The school in Dinkerville is different. The teachers teach things like poodle identification and painting pictures while hanging upside down. The students are happy and enthusiastic, until one day, the principal comes and tells them that they have to take a test. If they fail this test, their school will be closed and they'll be forced to go to the dreary, boring Flobbertown School. The students are scared, the principal is nervous, but the teacher is sure of the children - because they have been taught, among other things, how to think. She is sure that they will pass any test, because they have been well-armed. She was right, and the children get the highest score on the test, saving their fabulous school. The principal declares it Diffendoofer Day, and everyone rejoices.
The Good: This book emphasizes how important it is to learn to think for yourself, instead of just memorizing facts. If you are well armed to use your brain, you can do anything. The book was finished after Dr. Seuss' death (from some of his notes) and the illustrations are not typical Seuss, but they are fun and colorful. It's a really fun book.
The Bad: I can't think of anything, other than the fact that it might make you grumpy about the state of so many schools today, where memorization of rote facts seems to be the norm. The purist Dr. Seuss fan may have issues with the non-Seussical illustrations.
The Verdict: I want to share this book with everyone I know. It's not that long, and it's got a great message. Learn to use your fabulous brain, and anything is possible! Thank you, Book Store Lady!
Dr. Seuss: New Books!
I'll review them as we go through them.
Dr. Seuss Fun: Making Oobleck!
Put water in a bowl, add food coloring
Mix well
Keep Mixing
Play with it
Goopy!
Keep playing!
Then, wash off!
Friday, February 26, 2010
It's that time Again: Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! (on March 2)
We are still busily chugging along on Inkspell, and it's going to take us a while (though we are nearly halfway through!). So, I interrupt your regularly scheduled blog to remind you that Dr. Seuss' birthday is coming up on March 2!
Last year, I told you about some of our favorite Dr. Seuss books in honor of his birthday. This year, I thought I'd share some other ideas to celebrate the day.
I know it's not until next Tuesday, but this will give you some heads up to plan.
Last year, I told you about some of our favorite Dr. Seuss books in honor of his birthday. This year, I thought I'd share some other ideas to celebrate the day.
I know it's not until next Tuesday, but this will give you some heads up to plan.
- I found this great site, where you can download your own Seuss Reading Passport. Yes, I've printed a copy for each of my kids (not all the books are on there, but most of the real classics. Maybe I'll add some pages for the rest of them....)
- I'll be making a themed lunch for my daughter on Tuesday. Check it out on my lunch blog when the day comes.
- I think we'll make some Oobleck. Here's a great looking tutorial.
- You better believe we'll be having Green Eggs & Ham for breakfast.
- There are some cool game ideas at Seussville.com, too.
- We have one of the Dr. Seuss board games (Cat in the Hat - I Can Do That!) and I think it'll be obligatory to play a couple rounds.
- Of course, read one of your favorite Seuss books. Or two. Or three. Or, pick up a new one to expand your horizons - and stamp your Seuss Passport!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
We love Dr. Seuss in our house. I loved his books as a child, and introduced his books to my kids quite early.
Some of our Favorite Seuss Books:
Philip - Dr. Seuss ABC's. This is the perfect book for a boy obsessed with letters. It is fun to read, and as mentioned previously in the blog, he went as this book for Halloween this past year. He will lie in bed and "read" it to himself for a long time.
Evalina - She has many. For almost 6 months when she was maybe 3, she insisted that I read I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew nearly every night. And it isn't a short one. This thing is over 60 pages of prose-style Dr. Seuss. It's one I never read as a child, but oh how I love it now. I have the thing memorized. Seriously.
She also likes to read Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog? which is another one I didn't have as a child, but I like quite well.
Both The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and Bartholomew and the Oobleck are favorites, though my husband doesn't like reading them much.
She loves to torture us with the tongue twisters in Fox in Socks. I'm getting decent at them.
And of course, Yertle the Turtle, and also Horton Hears a Who.
Here's to many more years of enjoying Dr. Seuss! Happy Birthday to him! Why don't you celebrate by picking up a Seuss you haven't read, from the bookstore or the library, and share it with your kids tonight?
Some of our Favorite Seuss Books:
Philip - Dr. Seuss ABC's. This is the perfect book for a boy obsessed with letters. It is fun to read, and as mentioned previously in the blog, he went as this book for Halloween this past year. He will lie in bed and "read" it to himself for a long time.
Evalina - She has many. For almost 6 months when she was maybe 3, she insisted that I read I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew nearly every night. And it isn't a short one. This thing is over 60 pages of prose-style Dr. Seuss. It's one I never read as a child, but oh how I love it now. I have the thing memorized. Seriously.
She also likes to read Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog? which is another one I didn't have as a child, but I like quite well.
Both The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and Bartholomew and the Oobleck are favorites, though my husband doesn't like reading them much.
She loves to torture us with the tongue twisters in Fox in Socks. I'm getting decent at them.
And of course, Yertle the Turtle, and also Horton Hears a Who.
Here's to many more years of enjoying Dr. Seuss! Happy Birthday to him! Why don't you celebrate by picking up a Seuss you haven't read, from the bookstore or the library, and share it with your kids tonight?
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