Monday, February 27, 2017

Oh, The Things You Can Read: A Dr. Seuss Celebration

March 4th is nearly upon us, which can only mean one thing--it's time to celebrate Dr. Seuss's Birthday/Read Across America Day! Many elementary schools, libraries, and other community places are hosting fun-filled celebrations that week--and Fauquier County is no exception! Please join us for our annual Dr. Seuss Birthday/Read Across America celebration on March 4th at all library locations (Warrenton celebration will be at the John Barton Payne building). We'll enjoy our favorite Seuss stories, make a crazy Seuss-inspired craft, and even receive a book for our own personal library! Our celebration is made possible by the Fauquier Education Association and the Friends of the Fauquier County Library.






We have some fine Seuss biographies for kids, but Kathleen Krull's The Boy on Fairfield Street is my top pick. Who Was Dr. Seuss?, part of the ever-popular Who Was/Is? series, is also a fun read. We also have indepth biographies for adult fans, such as The Seuss, The Whole Seuss, And Nothing but the Seuss: A Visual Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel and Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geiesel.







We often get recommendations for audiobooks that will entertain a wide range of children, which makes for challenging selections. We don't want something that will be too difficult (or mature) for a kindergartner to understand, but not something that will read as baby-ish for a lower elementary school student. The Cat in the Hat and Other Seuss Favorites  is one of my regular audiobooks recommendations for this scenario; even kids who think they're too "old" for Seuss will find this a super entertaining and funny listen (readers include Billy Crystal and John Lithgow).






Before Theodore Geisel became primarily known for his children's books, he was the senior editorial cartoonist for the now-defunct magazine PM.  Dr. Seuss Goes to War is an incredibly fascinating collection of his political cartoons, some of which have been recently reprinted in newspapers and articles. As the cartoons are not intended for young viewers, this is for adult Seuss fans.






Has it been some time since you've read Seuss (or read them to your kids)? Read them again in Your Favorite Seuss; each story is prefaced by an introductory essay, in which the essay's author expresses how that story influenced him/her or why he/she loves that story so much (essayists include Stan and Jan Berenstain, Pete Seeger, Christopher Paolini, and Audrey Geisel; other essayists include children's librarians, teachers, and booksellers!).






What was the most eagerly anticipated posthumous publication from a beloved author in 2015? While many avid readers were eagerly anticipating Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman, children's literature fans were impatient to read What Pet Should I Get (and some were eager to read both!)? While this publication of an unpolished manuscript can't be compared to The Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham, it's an intriguing read (close observers will note that the brother and sister are the same sibling pair in One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish)

We'll celebrate more Seuss fun on March 4th from 10 AM-12 PM!

Jennifer Schultz, Youth Services Librarian, Fauquier County Public Library 

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