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In every child's book collection, there is at least one book written by Theodor Seuss Geisel or as he is better known, Dr. Seuss. These fun and whimsical books have opened the imaginations of young minds for years. Dr. Seuss has written over forty childrens' books and has brought some of the most creative characters to life including Horton, Thing One and Thing Two, The Grinch and of course Sam I Am, who really does like green eggs and ham.

Theodor Seuss Geisel has been delighting children with vibrant characters since his first book "And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street" which was rejected 27 times before finally being published. Because Mr. Geisel didn't give up on his stories even after the rejections, children all over the world can experience stories that introduce them to mystical places and humorous charachters.

Perhaps the most popular and well known Dr. Seuss book is "The Cat in the Hat". The feisty cat along with Thing One and Thing Two bring excitement and havoc to a rainy day. The crazy antics are brought to life with a rhyming story that no child can resist hearing over and over. This character went on to be used in a series of books including The Cat in the Hat Comes Back and The Cat in the Hat Song Book.

"Green Eggs and Ham" was published in 1960 and is the fourth best-selling children's book. Perhaps one of the best "moral of the story" type books which teaches children that maybe they should try new things and not turn away from new things until they at least try it.

The latest Dr. Seuss book to be made into a movie, "Horton Hears a Who!", tells the story of Horton the elephant whose perseverance saves the day and teaches positive qualities like integrity and responsibility. Horton goes on to show his noble qualities in the book "Horton Hatches the Egg" by hatching an egg that had been abandoned. Through tough weather, Horton again saves the day and teaches the importance of what makes a family.

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" has become a child's classic that also been made into an animated holiday special for television and a motion picture. Teaching the real meaning of Christmas and the real spirit of a town even after the Grinch steals all of the gifts and everything associated with it including the trees.

One of the more serious tales from Dr. Seuss is "The Lorax". The use of imaginative characters while teaching important lessons couldn't have been more illustrated than with this book. The story is about the destruction of the environment for material gain.

"Fox in Sox" was first published in 1965 and includes two unforgettable characters, Fox and Mr. Knox. A wonderful rhyming tale combined with counting and a few tongue-twisters. And of course, another unforgettable classic is "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" published in 1960. Dr. Seuss again takes rhyming and entertaining characters to teach young readers about counting and colors.

With so many wonderful classics created by Dr. Seuss, it is difficult to choose which titles to highlight. All of the works by Dr. Seuss are highly recommended especially for early readers. His use of colorful characters and creative stories will keep children coming back to his books for generations.

Sources:
http://www .seussville.com/lb/home.html
ht tp://www.catinthehat.org/
http: //www.seuss.org/
DR. SEUSS by Ruth MacDonald, copyright 1988

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