Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Through his quirky rhymes and colorful characters, for generations, Theodor Geisel–best known as Dr. Seuss–has urged us to climb mountains, hop on pop and speak for the trees. And today, the world celebrates what would have been the beloved author and illustrator’s 108th birthday.

Cat in the Hat Birthday

Kids of all ages have been celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday this week with enthusiastic celebrations, including nationwide reading campaigns. Although Seuss may have lent his creativity to other fields before flourishing with children’s books, his legacy continues to live on—so much so, not only have his books been reprinted over and over, but his characters have come to life on the big screen, stories have been turned into board games and his rhymes are the subject of an amusement park!

Above all the hoopla that Dr. Seuss’ stories have generated over the years, his messages still ring true all these years later. And if we were to remember anything he said, perhaps the most important message Dr. Seuss shared was this:

“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.”

For a few minutes or hours today, be sure to pick up a few books and read to the kids!

Just a few of our personal favorite Dr. Seuss titles are: Yertle the Turtle, Horton Hears a Who and Cat in the Hat.  You can’t go wrong with classics like these!

Cat-in-the-Hat-a-thon

I talk a big game about reading to the kids and making sure you disconnect as much as possible, but the truth is, I’m a big advocate not only for reading and writing, but for learning all together.  I love that our kids have the option of supplementing their lessons with intuitive games online, interactive apps, as well as educational programming.  And since we’re talking about Dr. Seuss, the Cat in the Hat which airs on PBS Kids, is no exception.

I love how the show has an emphasis on science and exploring creativity.  Sally and Nick, no doubt, are fun role models for curiosity and exploration; and that Cat, well, he’s knows a lot about that!  And today, in honor of Dr. Seuss birthday PBS is celebrating wit a Cat in the Hat a thon on PBS Kids.  So, after you read your favorite books, be sure to check it out!

I’m so honored to be chosen as one of this year’s PBS Kids VIPs.  This group is a collection of parent bloggers and social media enthusiasts like me who are just as passionate about learning and quality children’s programming.  So, stay tuned for all the PBS Kids-related goodies.

Giveaway

I’ve got two fun Cat in the Hat prize packs from PBS Kids up for grabs!  It contains a Cat in the Hat Book based on the series, a dvd of episodes from the show and a $25 credit to the PBS Kid’s stores!  Just comment below or send me an email to tell me about YOU and YOUR kids’ favorite Dr. Seuss book.  Extra credit: share on the NKT page about how your kids celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

P.S.

For those that have been wondering where I’ve been…I had a baby last month! I’ll spare you the “I was so sick song and dance,” but poor baby was/is a little sick. (Knock on wood) It’s nothing major for now, but it’s been enough to keep this momma down and out. I’m slowly but surely getting back into the groove of things. So, please bear with me as I swat out the cobwebs and get things up and running again.  It’s awesome to see you here! Thanks for hanging out.

So here’s baby boy #2’s debut on NKT: internets, meet Joshua Ellis! At just a month old, not surprisingly, he’s a fan of Dr. Seuss and books in general :)

Joshy Dr. Seuss