Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! In your honor, we’re wearing our hats + celebrating Read Across America Day!
The Cat in the Hat is one of the best selling books of all time, and its origin is an interesting tale of its own. In the mid-1950s, educators were concerned about children’s failure to learn to read; some speculated their books were boring. Dr. Seuss was presented by his publisher with a list of 348 words that were considered important for children to know. He was asked to pare the list to 250 and write a book that would captivate children using only those words. After nine months, The Cat in the Hat was the delightful result, using 236 of the words. Its simple vocabulary, drawing style and verse rhythms made The Cat in the Hat a favorite of readers (novices and advanced!) and placed Dr. Seuss on the list of icons of American culture.
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