Today is both Dr. Seuss' birthday and the 50th anniversary of his famous book, "The Cat in the Hat," which marks the transition of children's literature from bland Dick and Jane books to the exciting and innovative world of a cat who wreaks havoc in a tidy house with cakes and rakes.

According to USA Today, the 1950s saw an estimated 80 percent of first-graders who were reading "Dick and Jane" books to learn how to read. These books stressed moral and good behavior rather than phonics or pronunciation.

In 1957, education in America became a concern, and publishers Houghton Mifflin sought out Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, to write a book that would stress phonics for children.

Geisel then wrote "The Cat in the Hat," which became his breakout book that made his pen name, Dr. Seuss, well known as an important name in children's literature.

"Everyone knows his books and loves them," said Michelle Hatch, fifth-grade teacher at Wasatch Elementary. "All of our kids have his books at home."

Wasatch Elementary celebrates Dr. Seuss' birthday every year, giving the students red and white Cat in the Hat hats and having activities where the students can write and draw in Dr. Seuss' creative style.

"Phonetically, these books help," Hatch said. "The words slide right off of their tongues."

When Houghton Mifflin approached Geisel, they gave him 250 words that they wanted him to incorporate in his new book. Hoping that children would read the book over and over, educators wanted children to master the chosen words through repetition.

"The more contact with the same print, the better and faster you are as a reader," Hatch said. "Kids want to read Dr. Seuss' books, and they will read them over and over again."

Schools across the nation will most likely celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday in many different ways. Some teachers at Wasatch Elementary recently had their students enter a contest conducted by the Utah Education Association.

Students were asked to illustrate and create a character that resembled a Dr. Seuss-like character. Out of 600 entries, Hatch's student, fifth-grader Said Ghaliya, won the contest with his creative drawing.

Today the student and his class will travel to Gateway Mall in Salt Lake City with his classmates to meet a life-size Cat in the Hat, and he will receive his prizes for the winning drawing.

"We look at 'Cat in the Hat' in 1957, it opened up a new era of quality," said Mike Tunnel, professor of children's literature at BYU. "We really credit Dr. Seuss as being the first to do beginning-reader picture books."

"The Cat in the Hat" has been translated into several languages, including Spanish, French and Yiddish.

"Geisel is probably the best-known author of children's literature in the United States," Tunnel said.

Dr. Seuss has made such an impact on the world of children's literature that in 2004 the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award was established. The award goes to the author and illustrator of the most distinguished contribution to beginning reader books in the United States for the previous year. The winners are recognized for their imagination and creativity in their literary and artistic abilities to engage children.

"I do think it's made a difference in making reading fun for kids instead of boring," said Nancy Livingston, assistant professor of children's literature at BYU. "It gave children an interest in reading. The old 'Come Jane, come Dick' - very boring. Dr. Seuss made kids want to turn the next page to find out what happens."

Dr. Seuss did more than write fun entertaining literature for children. He taught moral lessons such as the economics of scarcity in "The Lorax," quality of friendship in "Horton Hears a Who" and not judging people in "The Sneetches."

"He opened up a world where each page is filled with vocabulary that just created magic for people," Livingston said.



Copyright Brigham Young University 1 Mar 2007