Book Review: Dr. Seuss's ABC
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that the words are chosen for maximum
fun on the tongue, and there's a delightful interplay between
the letters and the crazy-wild drawings.
Families can talk about letters and the sounds they make. Think
of words that start with the same letter sound -- see how many
you can string together in a silly sentence or phrase.
Dr. Seuss turns the alphabet from fifty-two shapes and twenty-six sounds one has to memorize into an exercise in rhymery and wordplay. Uppercase and lowercase letters are taken for a spirited airing, matched with an apt selection of fun words, all set in the suitably absurd world of Seuss characters and creatures.
Dr. Seuss, faithful to his mission, entertainingly and effectively delivers the educational goods -- in this case, the alphabet. The letters each take a turn in the spotlight and then are wedded to a few well-chosen words that convey the Seuss worldview of the high humor to be found in mental play: "Many mumbling mice are making midnight music in the moonlight ... mighty nice."
Because Seuss's illustrations are all about possibility -- quacking quacker-oo, policeman in a pail, ten tired turtles on a tuttle-tuttle tree -- that same sense rubs off on the letters: Here, take these letters, they're fun! Rub 'em together and see what you come up with. There is no better way to take the anxiety out of something than to make friends with it.
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