Dr. Seuss Books

Dr. Seuss books were some of my favorites when I was growing up. I can still remember my teacher reading Green Eggs and Ham to me in kindergarten and eating green eggs and ham afterwards. I use Dr. Seuss books now in my kindergarten classroom as a fun way to explore rhyming and rhyming words. In my experience, most young children are entertained by many of Dr. Seuss's books. I realize that Dr. Seuss's books are considered "moralistic," but children are not concerned with this. They just think the nonsense stories are funny and entertaining. The Cat in the Hat is a great example of this. Sure, you could get into conversations with your students regarding honesty and ask the question at the end of the story "What would you do if your mother asked you?" I really don't think you have to get into all that. I plan on just enjoying the nonsense story and using the story to help my students learn how to rhyme.

The Lorax might have been considered his best book by the author, but it isn't my favorite. I do think the story is didactic, and I think it does teach an important lesson about taking care of our environment. Although the story does rhyme, this isn't a story I choose to use to with my kindergartners. I think the length of the story and the subject matter lends itself better to older students.