Ralph Covert

One of my goals as someone who isn't goal-oriented is to read Dr. Seuss stories with nary a flub. Was doing great on Happy Birthday To You tonight until late in the tale, then I almost choked on a line with some sounds that might have scared the kids.

One of the great revelations since having young'ns has been Dr. Seuss. I thought I knew him--Green Eggs n Ham, The Grinch, Cat in the Hat--but to know only his most famous is really to not know him. I found a book by chance with 13 stories, each prefaced by an author or famous person (Pete Seeger does The Lorax).

It has cool rough drafts, other Seuss artwork and advertising pieces. The collection includes the three above, but I had never read Horton Hears a Who, If I Ran The Zoo, Happy Birthday to You, Yertle the Turtle, McElligot's Pool and a few others.

So much fun to read, and so much respect for that writing. I don't care if he made up names to help rhyme; of course, those invented words doubled as his signature charm. The rhythm of the meter makes your mouth feel good when reading aloud.

The bonus of the discovery of this book was that even though I knew The Grinch and The Cat in The Hat very well, that knowledge was from a child's point of view and also from the cartoons. Reading them as an adult was like seeing them for the first time. The eureka also revealed that Green Eggs n Ham is weak, maybe his weakest. Over--rated, clap clap clapclapclap.

I'd cite my favorite lines, but it would take too long, and I promised brevity here. I know, better yet, read them yourself, and find your own (typed in a sweet, fuzzy tone of voice).