Reading Dr. Seuss

A week ago we got five Dr. Seuss books from the library, and we've been reading them lots this week. Tess really likes the rhymes, rhythm, and pictures in his books, but her specific reactions to various books have tickled me.

She was really attracted to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish until we got to the bad fish. There's a picture of a fish pushing two little fish, and it really upset Tess. She insisted we stop reading the book, and for days wouldn't let me read it. She finally warmed up to it when I proposed skipping that page, though every time we start the book, she has to remind me numerous times that she doesn't like the bad fish page, and we must skip it.

Green Eggs and Ham was one of her first favorites. She sat all the way through that long book. But this week, after reading it a couple of times, she started telling me, "Mommy no be angry!" I was getting into character too much, apparently. So I tried to read the book without the enthusiastic annoyance of the character who doesn't like Sam-I-am, but that still wasn't good enough. Instead, Tess settled on the perfect solution by editing the book more to her liking.

We read the first six pages, up to the point where the doubting character declares, "I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham." Then Tess jumps in saying, "I want the water page. Go to water page!" And we fast forward through the whole book to "You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may I say." Tess loves these pages, especially the page without any words where the dubious character holds a green egg on a fork and frowns at it. She grins wide and wiggles in anticipation at that picture every time. And she LOVES when we turn the page and he exclaims, "Say! I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-am!" She will sometimes humor me to read through the long list of places he would eat green eggs and ham. She likes the end where he thanks Sam-I-am. But often, at this point, she just wants to go back to the beginning and start her version of the book all over again.

Hop On Pop took a while to get used to. We'd read a page or two and then she'd stop us. Then the next time she might let me go a little further. Finally, she wanted the whole book, and now has favorite parts. And she has to point out that she doesn't like the cactus. (Pat don't sit on that!) Fox in Socks was the same. She started with a few pages, but now wants to hear the whole book. "Fox is funny Mama!" she tells me, "socks on hands!"

Her favorite is There's a Wocket in my Pocket. She likes to find the various creatures and point out the falling plates that bother her in a couple of pictures. She also tells me that the "vug is scary," when we start the book. It's important to keep track of these things, you know.