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What was Dr. Seuss's most important accomplishment? He made reading fun! Millions learned to read with his simple books, enjoying funny stories about comical creatures. (That's not an exaggeration. His books have sold more than 222 million copies, according to Wikipedia!) It's now been 72 years since he published his first book - and launched 72 years of curious children learning how to read. Let's remember how important that contribution really is...

In those crucial first years, when a book is a strange new mystery, Dr. Seuss contributes stories that are gentle and fun. Little boys dream of fantastic cars, fish, circuses, and zoos. There's talking elephants, birds, a moose, and even a Grinch - and Seuss would dream up even sillier creatures of his own, like the Sneetches and the Wocket. Seuss was also a fantastic artist, and his cartoon-like illustrations almost turn each book into a party of colorful characters. And the rhymes also help to give everything a playful tone. ("I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent...")

Seuss's rhymes are more important than people realize, because young readers are still struggling to expand their vocabulary. Repeating sounds helps them learn more than a regular children's book. (When Seuss writes "Red fish, blue fish, old fish, new fish" - it's a perfect drill for learning the word "fish"!) And when children are leaning familiar letter combinations - like "op" - what better way to review than a book called "Hop on Pop"?

Seuss's importance as a teacher shouldn't be overlooked, even before looking at which books contained specific messages. When Horton the Elephant agrees to hatch Mayzie's egg, he honors his promise to remain on the nest - even when confronted by gun-toting hunters! Seuss's messages became more specific, like when he addressed the environment in his 1971 book "The Lorax" or his book mocking military spending, "The Butter Battle Book." When Seuss was 82, he wrote a special book "for obsolete children" called "You're Only Old Once!" where he offers comfort to those who are confronting the effects of aging.

And finally, at the age of 86 Dr. Seuss wrote one last book - giving advice to a youngster, and maybe looking back on his own life. He seems just as cheerful in "Oh, the Places You'll Go" as he did in his first book in 1937, and it's a great last example of all the joy, enthusiasm, and fun that his books continue to pass along.

Kid, you'll move mountains..."

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

Soget on your way!

Learn more about this author, Moe Zilla.
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