Monday night, I snuggled with my oldest daughter, Karis, as she read her 500th book of the school year. 40 years ago, my mom read the same book to me. 
The exact same book.
Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss. I told my mom last night on the phone that Karis read her 500th book this year and that it was Green Eggs and Ham. Mom says, “I think I read that to you 500 times.”
Today, we celebrate Dr. Theodor Seuss Geissel’s birthday, born March 2, 1904.
We do, of course, celebrate it in rhyme:
Feel free to share this with anyone you wish. You can download the PDF at the bottom of the page. (AND…read a Dr. Seuss book to your child today!)
This one is a special day
with reverent thoughts I smile and say,
“Happy birthday to the man,
who’s rhyming life, a fan I am”
On Mount Crumpit a creature whom Karloff and Carrey,
gave glimpses of life both saddened and scary,
did learn from a ‘who’, who taught in a pinch,
that Christmas is for all, yes even a grinch.
A fantastically furry and flamboyant feline,
whom Myers admired, we all would opine,
that 1 and 2 Things and a fish may think that,
trouble may follow a cat in a hat.
I heard a who in Who-ville speak,
so in specks of dust I now must peek.
“Cause whether you’re famous, big or small,
a person’s a person, no matter how small,”*
Chartreuese or Emerald; Fern, olive or jade,
Shamrock or persian, could all be the shade.
Whether camo, or mint is yet to be seen,
but one thing is for sure: eggs and ham are now green.
Hops on Pops are very good things,
and Yings are things that like to sing.
Foxes in sox(es) occur as they may,
in imagined worlds where we dream to play.
Wockets in pockets are only the start,
of crazy adventures dear to our heart.
From Marvin K. Mooneys to Hooper Humperdinks,
our minds run free, how he made us to think.
Once we as children, now parents these books
so ingrained in our mind, that nary a look
at the words on the page for they’ve lodged in our mind
as we snuggle precious ones, speaking all words in rhyme
So some day as my son’s son reads the words,
that mom shared with me and made my mind stir.
I pray that the dreams of a child are made loose,
because of the words of the late Dr. Seuss.
Happy Birthday Dr. Theodor Seuss Geissel
March 2, 1904
by Jeff Anderson*
*except for “Cause whether you’re famous, big or small
a person’s a person, no matter how small” taken from “Horton Hears a Who!”
and the obvious names of the books and characters
Thank you mom for reading Green Eggs and Ham every night to me 40 years ago.
Dr. Seuss Birthday (in rhyme) click to download the PDF of the poem-FREE
