I like to read, I do, I do…what about you?

Posted on by Kylie Fennell

“The more that you read, the more things you will know.  The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr. Seuss

If you have read my last couple of blogs you would know that my son started school this year and has started his reading journey.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re reading a catalogue, a newspaper or a first reader,  he takes the greatest pleasure in spotting the words he is starting to learn.

“Mummy, there’s a ‘the’, there’s ‘and’, it’s ‘look’.”

Reading is a lifelong adventure and I’m enjoying revisiting the magical journey from the very beginning.

My son’s teacher said that we needed to move onto rhyming, so my next challenge was to find books that featured rhyme words.

It was a simple choice. We happen to have a very healthy collection of Dr. Seuss – we started with Cat in a Hat of course.

Dr. Seuss is the perfect starting ground for any young reader. I read a great CNN article about how Dr. Seuss is the ultimate model for innovation.

He authored more than 40 books but he is celebrated more for creating a fun and creative way of learning how to read but he also delivered important life lessons. “Green Eggs and Ham” uses just 50 words and delivers the message that just don’t know for sure about something until you actually try it.

“‘The Sneetches’ touches on discrimination. ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’ is a reminder for many about the true meaning of the holiday; and ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go!’ teaches us that life is a balancing act so be prepared for the tough parts and appreciate and take advantage of the great parts.”

I particularly enjoy ‘The Lorax’, which teaches us the importance of caring for our environment.

Dr. Seuss was ahead of his time but more than 60 years after first publishing Cat in Hat his work is still highly entertaining and relevant.

This blogpost from teacher Christa Brown explains why children should be exposed to Dr. Seuss Books.

Her top reasons include the importance of rhythm, counting and alphabet skills. She also explains the importance of rhyme.

“Reading a text with rhyme builds a foundation for reading success.  There is evidence that children who recognise rhymes, also recognise the spelling sequence of word families such as ‘at’.  When this happens children can quickly read words of the same word family. Children become familiar with the rhymes and can recite them. Dr. Seuss books are some of the best early readers, the help form a foundation of confidence in reading.”

The moral lessons are also an incredible bonus, providing new insights and important life concepts for young minds.

And finally the illustrations and silliness make the stories so much FUN, and that’s exactly what reading should be.

Dr. Seuss is perfect for children but also big kids and readers of all ages.

If I could write half as good as Dr. Seuss, I would be a happy girl, because I like to read and I like to write, I do, I do…what about you?

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Kylie Fennell
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