June 16, 2013

Bartholomew, Tillie, and Poetry


This is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. (I also like The 500 Hats of Batholomew Cubbins.) I found this today and as soon as I saw it, I knew it had to be mine! Such a classic. In my opinion at least. :) But Kara, you're wondering, that's not one of Dr. Seuss' books written in poetry! Right you are. But finding it and then also finding another book of poems at the same time, is where the poetry part of the title will come in.

See, when I was younger I read these big, thick books of silly children's poems. (I've always enjoyed poetry.) And somewhere along the line, I read these books enough that I finally had one poem memorized. I can still recite it word for word today. In fact, I can even put a tune to it and sing it for you! No. I'm not posting a video of me singing. But I can sing it, as ridiculous as that probably sounds. Anyway, while looking through the children's books at this particular store, I found a smaller version of those big books of poetry. And lo and behold, while flipping through it, there was my poem! The one I have memorized I mean. So of course, I knew I wouldn't be leaving that book in the store either.

Both books are now happily sitting on my bookshelf. I think they're pretty excited about their new home! I know I'm sure happy to have them there. :D

What's that? Oh. You want to read that poem I can recite? Are you sure? Okay. But just remember that it's a children's poem, so it's a bit silly. Here you are:


Isn't it great? Well, even if you don't think so, there's plenty of children that laugh and laugh when I recite it. :) Would you like to see another one? Sure you would.


When the day is that boring, going back to bed is a great option. Always. ;)

Anyway! Going back to Dr. Seuss. There are several people I know that don't like his books. Perhaps you happen to be one of those. But me? I love his made up words. They're so fun to say out loud! I love that his poems all rhyme and that they have a beat to them. (You know. When you read them, you can tap your foot along with your recitation.) You could probably even put a tune to them if you were so inclined! Alas, I've only done that with the "Tillie" poem.

My point is, I like Dr. Seuss. I like his books. I like his poems. I like to read them out loud to children and listen to them giggle. I like to giggle along with them!

There is much that can be expressed through poetry. Meaningful things. Encouraging things. Empathetic things. But I'm glad that there's silly poems out there too. Life is a struggle sometimes. Being silly, with made-up words and funny rhymes, gives children (and even adults!) the chance to just laugh and enjoy themselves. I think there's a place for both. We need both! Thus I'm incredibly thankful that Dr. Seuss created his silly stories. That he was able to get them published. And that I can still read them to my nieces and nephews today and we can laugh over them. There's just nothing better than sharing stories together. :)



9 comments:

  1. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins is one of my most favorite books ever, but I've never cared as much for Oobleck. Not entirely sure why, as it's been a long time since I read it. But I love many of Dr. Seuss's books -- Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat and Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? are also great favorites of mine, ones I willingly read over and over to my kids.

    I love poetry, silly and non-silly. As a kid, I memorized several silly poems too! I still remember "Eletelephony" by Laura Richards, and I've gotten my son to memorize it too. Giggles are good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love that poem! I'd totally forgotten about it until now, but it's definitely a great one to read out loud. I should work on memorizing it too. :D

      I thought that I remembered you mentioning that you weren't fond of Oobleck. Guess we can't agree on everything! ;) But I do agree with all the others you listed. Dr. Seuss was a great children's author.

      Giggles are absolutely awesome!

      Delete
  2. Also, I've forgotten which post we were discussing Northanger Abbey in, but I wanted to tell you that I started watching the movie last night! The one you recommended, and it's adorable so far -- I'm only 15 mins in. But I needed to tell you that Catherine's daydreams so far are a bit different from the book. In the book, she's more likely to imagine that real-life things and people are more mysterious and exciting than they actually are. She looks at real life and imagines all sorts of fantastic and romantic things, and then learns the truth is usually far more pedestrian. So... just don't expect the book to have her thinking there are highwaymen about to waylay her on the road to Bath, etc. Not that she wouldn't have -- the movie so far just adds in more fantasies/imaginings than the book relates.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yay! Isn't it cute? Glad you've enjoyed it so far. Just hope that continues! :)

      Ah, that makes sense then. That I'd heard there were changes I mean. Thanks for the warning. I'm still excited to read the book. It's sitting all pretty on my shelf right now, anxiously waiting its turn. The more you've talked about it, the more excited I've gotten about it. That's all due to your praise, Hamlette! You are just that great of a recommend-er of books. ;D

      Delete
    2. Aww, thank you :-) ::blushes:: I'm glad you like my recommendations! Maybe it's just that we're both really enthusiastic about well-told stories.

      I finished the movie last night (full review coming soon), and it was lots of fun! I especially loved the kiss at the end, all sort of awkward and excited and adorable.

      All the stuff at Northanger, where she suspects General Tilney of killing his wife and finds out that the mysterious papers hidden away are actually laundry lists -- that's from the book, that's the kind of imaginings Catherine does.

      But I'd heard all sorts of horrible things about the extra fantasies in the movie, and was quite prepared to avert mine blushing eyes... and dude, they were SO not shocking! All the potentially shocking ones were dreams, not fantasies (huge difference there, IMHO), and goodness, who among us hasn't had a shocking dream or two? I'll go into that more in my review, though, I'm sure.

      Anyway, overall, I found the movie lots and lots of fun, though I'm not sure I liked it well enough to buy it. Though, ooooooh, Henry Tilney was awfully delicious. Maybe if I find a really good deal on it some time...

      Delete
    3. I loved that kiss too! Not just from a romantic standpoint though. I thought it was so fitting for who those two people are. At least by the movie's standards. All awkward and unsure and adorable and cute. :)

      Oh! That makes sense then, that it would turn out way different than you expected. And yeah, so true. I imagine we've all had a shocking dream at one time or another. Those weren't that shocking at all. As you said, she was dreaming so that takes away the shock value a little. Can't wait to read your review! (And probably comment lengthily about it. ;)

      Ooooooohhhhh yeah! Mr. Henry Tilney could show up on my doorstep any time he wanted! ;D I thought JJ Feild did a great job. I loved his playful side! Is he that way in the book? Please say yes! That'll make me read it sooner!

      Delete
    4. NO, I loved the kiss because it was exactly right for two people who had presumably never kissed anyone before. Perfect.

      Review is up! Here.

      And Henry Tilney is absolutely all teasy and playful and laugh-inducing in the book too. He's my second-favorite Austen hero, after Captain Wentworth and Mr. Darcy, who tie for first. And he's so knowledgeable about muslins! :-D

      Delete
    5. Oh, that famous quote about any person who takes no pleasure in a novel being intolerably stupid? That's Tilney in the book.

      Delete
    6. Okay then! You have officially convinced to start this one really, really soon! I need to finish A Room With a View first, but I'm getting a lot closer to the end. So that means I should get to NA before long. I hope anyway!

      And yes, he is very knowledgeable about muslins! hee ;)

      Delete

Thank you so much for visiting my little corner of the internet! :)

ShareThis

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...