For decades, the infamous stories of The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Green Eggs and Ham have plagued the lives of countless children. The author and illustrator of 44 rhyming tales was Theodor Seuss Geisel, but he ised the pen name of Dr. Seuss.
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. After attaining his degree from Darmouth University, Geisel pursued a doctorate in literature from Lincoln University in Oxford. While in Oxford, Geisel met and married Helen Palmer and moved to the United States without earning his doctorate degree. Seuss places the "Dr." in his name in order to acknowledfe his father's unfulfilled hopes that he would one day attain his doctorate degree from Oxford University.
In 1937, while Seuss was returning from an ocean voyage to Europe, the rhythm of the ship's engines inspired the poem that became his first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. As World War II began, Dr. Seuss turned to political cartoons. After the war, however, Seuss returned to writing children's books and wrote what many consider to be his finest works, which include favorites: If I Ran the Zoo, Scrambled Eggs Super!, On Beyond Zebra!, If I Ran the Circus, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
On September 24, 1991, Seuss died in La Jolla, California after fighting illness for several years. In 2002, the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden opened in his birthplace of Springfield, Massachusetts, featuring sculptures of Dr. Seuss and many of his characters.
Basic Information pulled from wikipedia.org
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Creating Imagination
Is there a way to give a child imagination? Do you show them a movie and read them a story with pictures? Or do you read a story to them and let them tell you what is happening?
I believe that giving children imagination or at least the opportunity to have a vivid imagination is important to their happiness in adulthood. Speaking of imagination, G.K. Chesterton said that "there are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds." I think what Chesterton was trying to say is that our imagination allows us to dream, and in our dreams there are no rules or boundaries that bind us.
I think that our "castles in the clouds" are very important for inside of them we hold our secrets and creativity and even our personal dreams. If anyone would be so evil to tear down these castles, I think they would be destroying that individual very quickly and harshly.
I hope that through children's literature we can give the youth of today the tools needed to build their perfect castles in the sky.
I believe that giving children imagination or at least the opportunity to have a vivid imagination is important to their happiness in adulthood. Speaking of imagination, G.K. Chesterton said that "there are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds." I think what Chesterton was trying to say is that our imagination allows us to dream, and in our dreams there are no rules or boundaries that bind us.
I think that our "castles in the clouds" are very important for inside of them we hold our secrets and creativity and even our personal dreams. If anyone would be so evil to tear down these castles, I think they would be destroying that individual very quickly and harshly.
I hope that through children's literature we can give the youth of today the tools needed to build their perfect castles in the sky.
Friday, January 25, 2008
My Version of Red Riding Hood
We've all read the typical tale of Little Red.. but I have created an Aggie version of this tale.
Little Aggie Hood © by Samantha Bingham
Once upon a time in a land far, far away
There lived a girl with a hood of maroon and gray.
She lived with her family, filled with Aggie pride
A kind of tradition that is known worldwide.
Little Hood was told to make a trip
Mother gave her a can of Southern cheese dip.
To grandmother's house, Hood took off in a hurry
While assuring her mother there was no need to worry.
Her mother was right in her unsecurities there
Because in the wood lay a monster with burnt orange hair.
Hood made it to grandmother's house not
Instead by the burnt orange bevo she was caught.
But fear not for this little Aggie girl
For a tune came to mind and she gave it a whirl.
Hullabaloo Caneck, Caneck... she sang so strong
And it was heard in the wood by all those who belong.
Among these were members of the Corps of Cadets
And soon that bull bevo had many regrets.
The cadets rescued her from that creature so mean
And Hood said she'd repay them with something routine.
All the Aggies had a great dinner that night
Because Little Aggie Hood knew how to cook bevo just right!
Little Aggie Hood © by Samantha Bingham
Once upon a time in a land far, far away
There lived a girl with a hood of maroon and gray.
She lived with her family, filled with Aggie pride
A kind of tradition that is known worldwide.
Little Hood was told to make a trip
Mother gave her a can of Southern cheese dip.
To grandmother's house, Hood took off in a hurry
While assuring her mother there was no need to worry.
Her mother was right in her unsecurities there
Because in the wood lay a monster with burnt orange hair.
Hood made it to grandmother's house not
Instead by the burnt orange bevo she was caught.
But fear not for this little Aggie girl
For a tune came to mind and she gave it a whirl.
Hullabaloo Caneck, Caneck... she sang so strong
And it was heard in the wood by all those who belong.
Among these were members of the Corps of Cadets
And soon that bull bevo had many regrets.
The cadets rescued her from that creature so mean
And Hood said she'd repay them with something routine.
All the Aggies had a great dinner that night
Because Little Aggie Hood knew how to cook bevo just right!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Conveying the Real World to Kids
As some of you may know, Heath Ledger died today. He was 28 years old, and he left family, friends, an ex-wife (I think) and a daughter behind. His daughter is two years old, and she will never know her father.
This blog is for my Children's literature class. And while I was reading these stories about Heath Ledger, the teacher in me feels for his daughter. I mean she is two and her father could have committed suicide (police really do not know the cause of death yet). How do you convey that to a child? At what point do the children have to stop believing in the fairy tales and start with reality? Are there any books that really dive into reality or is reading just a way for these kids to escape the reality that is right outside their door?
I think Children's literature provides both an escape and some insight into the world outside. I think all literature does that. But right now in the world we live in, I think it is very important for kids to have an escape from this world--a place where they can come alive and let their imaginations soar.
As I'm learning daily in my Children's literature class, the things we read as children have deeper meanings that might not have been so obvious to us when we were little. But they teach us things that we need to know.
So how do we know what's a good mix for the children in the classroom (or in your life)? Is it always best to teach them about life as they read it or as they are experiencing life? I guess one extreme or the other is never beneficial, and a medium is always the better options. I guess I will learn as I go.
I guess the important thing to remember is that children's literature is first and foremost about the children and benefiting their life. Hopefully, the more kids read now, the more they will read in the future. And the more they read in the future, the more the real world will be revealed to them.
OUTSIDE READING LIST:
Book 1: You Are Mine
Author: Max Lucado
Picture Book? Yes
Posting date and/or number: February 2, 2008
Book 2: Horton Hatches the Egg
Author: Dr. Seuss
Picture Book? Yes
Posting date and/or number: February 12, 2008
Book 3: Animorphs: The Invasion
Author: K. A. Applegate
Picture Book? No
Posting date and/or number: February 23, 2008
Book 4: How Jackrabbit Got His Very Long Ears
Author: Heather Irbinskas
Picture Book? Yes
Posting date and/or number: March 2, 2008
Book 5: The New Kid on the Block
Author: Jack Prelutsky
Picture Book? No
Posting date and/or number: March 4, 2008
Book 6: Charlie the Caterpillar
Author: Dom De Luise
Picture Book? Yes
Posting date and/or number: March 25, 2008
Book 7: Holes
Author: Louis Sarchar
Picture Book? No
Posting date and/or number: April 6, 2008
Book 8: Charlotte's Web
Author: E.B. White
Picture Book? No
Posting date and/or number: April 12, 2008
Book 9: The Giving Tree
Author: Shel Silverstein
Picture Book? Yes
Posting date and/or number: April 18, 2008
Book 10: Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps Series)
Author: R. L. Stine
Picture Book? No
Posting date and/or number: April 26, 2008
This blog is for my Children's literature class. And while I was reading these stories about Heath Ledger, the teacher in me feels for his daughter. I mean she is two and her father could have committed suicide (police really do not know the cause of death yet). How do you convey that to a child? At what point do the children have to stop believing in the fairy tales and start with reality? Are there any books that really dive into reality or is reading just a way for these kids to escape the reality that is right outside their door?
I think Children's literature provides both an escape and some insight into the world outside. I think all literature does that. But right now in the world we live in, I think it is very important for kids to have an escape from this world--a place where they can come alive and let their imaginations soar.
As I'm learning daily in my Children's literature class, the things we read as children have deeper meanings that might not have been so obvious to us when we were little. But they teach us things that we need to know.
So how do we know what's a good mix for the children in the classroom (or in your life)? Is it always best to teach them about life as they read it or as they are experiencing life? I guess one extreme or the other is never beneficial, and a medium is always the better options. I guess I will learn as I go.
I guess the important thing to remember is that children's literature is first and foremost about the children and benefiting their life. Hopefully, the more kids read now, the more they will read in the future. And the more they read in the future, the more the real world will be revealed to them.
OUTSIDE READING LIST:
Book 1: You Are Mine
Author: Max Lucado
Picture Book? Yes
Posting date and/or number: February 2, 2008
Book 2: Horton Hatches the Egg
Author: Dr. Seuss
Picture Book? Yes
Posting date and/or number: February 12, 2008
Book 3: Animorphs: The Invasion
Author: K. A. Applegate
Picture Book? No
Posting date and/or number: February 23, 2008
Book 4: How Jackrabbit Got His Very Long Ears
Author: Heather Irbinskas
Picture Book? Yes
Posting date and/or number: March 2, 2008
Book 5: The New Kid on the Block
Author: Jack Prelutsky
Picture Book? No
Posting date and/or number: March 4, 2008
Book 6: Charlie the Caterpillar
Author: Dom De Luise
Picture Book? Yes
Posting date and/or number: March 25, 2008
Book 7: Holes
Author: Louis Sarchar
Picture Book? No
Posting date and/or number: April 6, 2008
Book 8: Charlotte's Web
Author: E.B. White
Picture Book? No
Posting date and/or number: April 12, 2008
Book 9: The Giving Tree
Author: Shel Silverstein
Picture Book? Yes
Posting date and/or number: April 18, 2008
Book 10: Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps Series)
Author: R. L. Stine
Picture Book? No
Posting date and/or number: April 26, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)