Celebrating Seuss: Clever rhymes were ahead of their times

In his book "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish," published in 1960, Dr. Seuss summed up his philosophy:

"From there to here

From here to there,

Funny things

Are everywhere."

And Dr. Seuss had a special eye for seeing those things and a special knack for presenting them to the world, earning him a place in the hearts of generations of readers.

"Who can't love Dr. Seuss?" asked Lisa Myron, children's library manager at the Salt Lake City Public Library. "That whole imagination and rhyme thing is delightful." And, she added, it's helped many a child learn to read. "The Foot Book," for example, is a particularly good place to start. "For some reason," she said, "that just clicks with children."

"I always think of Dr. Seuss as one of the classics," adds Janice Card, children's book buyer at the Brigham Young University Bookstore. "He was there when I was a kid, and his books have been there for every generation since. His characters are totally unique. His stories often have little messages, but they're not preachy."

And he was always so creative, she said, "He used all these made-up words that you won't find in any dictionary. But the kids seem to know exactly what they mean."

Dr. Seuss was the pen name used by Theodor Seuss Geisel, who has born March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Mass., into a family of German emigrants.

In honor of that 100-years-ago event, Dr. Seuss Enterprises is hosting a yearlong celebration called "Seussentennial: A Century of Imagination."

Events and activities scheduled throughout the year include the Seussentennial Imagination Tour, an interactive, theatrical program, which is making stops in more than 40 cities nationwide (including Salt Lake City today and Saturday).

In addition, new editions of Dr. Seuss books and other Seuss-related products will be released; art and artifact exhibits will be held at several museums around the country; a special Read-Across-America, sponsored by the National Education Association, will involve celebrity readers in various communities.

Over the years, Geisel has amassed an impressive list of honors and accolades. His 40-plus books have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide. He won Academy Awards, Emmys, a Peabody Award and a Pulitzer Prize. More importantly, perhaps, he won the hearts of millions of parents, teachers and children.