Eventually, intrigued by this sudden interest in activities related to a cat in a red and white striped hat, I Googled and I discovered that this week it was Dr Seuss' birthday. Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr Seuss, was born on March 2nd 1904.
His birthday, I discovered from my internet research, is also marked in the United States as a special reading day.
Now, I'm all for encouraging reading on special days or on any old day if you feel like it but I just can't bring myself to get enthusiastic about Dr Seuss.
Don't get me wrong I love rhyming books. We read plenty of them at our house. Lynley Dodd's Hairy Maclary stories about a dog that gets into mischief are among our favourites. (She's a New Zealand author so if her books haven't made it to your part of the world yet, check out the links below).
But The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham - they all elude me.
I've tried, honestly I have. We have got Dr Seuss books out of the library and I've dutifully read them. We even watched The Cat in the Hat on television and I didn't like it then either.
I can't put my finger on what it is. Maybe it's that some of the rhymes feel a little forced or maybe it's just that the rhymes come so thick and fast that I tend to gabble them and trip over my tongue half way through the book.
Whatever it is I'm sorry to say there are no Dr Seuss books adorning our bookshelves and in his birthday week I feel like I should say sorry to Dr Seuss for not liking him. Millions of others do, so obviously it's not you, it's me. I'm sorry.
Is it just me? Tell me if you don't like Dr Seuss either. Or convince me why I should give him another try.
In case you want to try Dr Seuss:
Liked This? Try These:
Celebrate Dr Seuss's Birthday- ABC News
The Cat in the Hat Games - Seussville.com
Hairy Maclary - New Zealand History
