Question

Option 1 Children's Book Review Read a book that is suitable for children who are in one of the stages that is covered in the first eight chapters (Infancy, Preschool, early Elementary Grade School) and then write a two to three page paper. Do not use a book designed for older grade school children (chapter book) as it will be too difficult to narrow the content to the concepts in the assignment. Summarize the story. Comment on the message that the story is designed to convey to the children who read it or to whom it might be read, i.e. "Green Eggs and Ham" is about trying new foods and "The Lorax" has a strong environmental message. Talk about the cognitive level of thinking that might be enhanced by the content. What techniques does the author use to strengthen his or her point (repetition, use of animals, colors, rhyming, etc.)? How do the illustrations and/or font contribute to the story? What questions might a parent pose to further develop the cognitive and social skills addressed in the story? Reinforce your examples or comments with quotes from the book or story. Read your book to one or more children of the appropriate age group. What was their reaction? Did that reaction meet or differ from your expectations? If so, how? What is your reaction to the experience of reading the story to a child? If it absolutely impossible to read your book to children, at least include your list of questions and topics you might discuss as you read the book. Be sure to include complete bibliographic information about the book.

Answer 1

Theodor Seuss Geisel was a magician. The man better known as Dr. Seuss used sleight of hand to make readers believe his seemingly silly rhymes were just that. But the good doctor’s prose, be it concerning plates of eggs or mustachioed tree-people, was deceptive. His casual couplets and nonsense words serve as a linguistic boot camp for kids. Professor LouAnn Gerken, Ph.D. offers some reasons why the good doctor’s works are so important for early childhood development.

It’s All About That Rhythm
Rhythm, per Gerken, is a vital tool for babies to understand when phrases end and begin – their first step in learning language. After they get a handle on that, rhythm helps infants develop a motor pattern. As springy, heavily rhythmic prose is one of the hallmarks of Dr. Seuss’ works, the good doctor presents a crash course in early linguistics.

English often takes on iambic pentameter (de DUM, on repeat). Other languages, such as Italian, often lend themselves to the reverse pattern (DUM de, on repeat). Dr. Seuss wrote almost exclusively in the anapest meter, (de de DUM, on repeat), and Gerken says the seemingly silly pattern serves to help children understand language more precisely.

green eggs and ham dr seuss

Made Up Words Mirror The Ways Kids Speak
“Thneeds” and “Bar-ba-loots” are, unfortunately, not real words. But they are effective rhymes found in The Lorax. Not only are such words scientifically funny, but they also serve to encourage your kids to learn actual new words.

Well, even if they aren’t real, Gerken says that words of any kind will help children’s language and cognitive skills develop. The value of made-up language especially counts for Dr. Seuss because he often employs them for the sake of rhyme. “Rhymes often highlight the rules for stress in a child’s native language,” Gerken previously said. “[They] tend to mirror the way children naturally speak.”

The combination of rhymes and new words in Seuss’ works challenges kids in a way other children’s literature doesn’t always do. Typically, your kid is going to know that “glupitty-glup” and “wocket” aren’t real words. They will, however, learn that language can be played with, and they’ll gain confidence in their own reading ability.

His Prose Is Music To A Newborn’s Ears
In a 1980 study by researchers Anthony DeCasper and William Fifer, expecting mothers read aloud The Cat In The Hat twice daily during the last 6.5 weeks of pregnancy. After birth, the newborns were given special pacifiers which would activate different recordings of their mothers’ voices. Sucking on the pacifier one way would play a tape of their mother reading The Cat In The Hat; sucking on it another way would play her reading The King, The Mice And The Cheese. Each poem is written in different meters. The newborns almost exclusively “chose” to listen to The Cat In The Hat. Per Gerken, they preferred The Cat In The Hat because of its precise, soothing prose. She says that bone conduction (the conduction of sound to the inner ear through the bones of the skull) delivers rhythm and prosody to the fetus. Meaning the good doctors tricks even work on those too young to even understand words.

The story, Green Eggs and Ham, is a sunning piece of writing by Dr. Seuss that contains only fifty simple words. This composition incorporates a plot which is held throughout the entire story. Sam is a persistent and energetic character in thiss tale. A grumpy unnamed character is constantly asked by Sam if he enjoys green eggs and ham, but constantly rejects Sam and say she does not. Question by question, Sam asks if the nameless character would enjoy green eggs and ham in different places such as in a box, or with a fox. The persistency of Sam generates fury in the anonymous character, making him more crotchety than before.

Dr. Seuss is known for his non­complex themes that juveniles learn as they grow. The theme of this allegory revolves around the idea that we should try to be dauntless at times and try new things
before we judge a wrong in it. In Green Eggs and Ham, the anonymouscharacter’s petulance was shown throughout the story. He constantly denied green eggs and ham each time when Sam asked him if he liked them. However, towards the ending of the tale, there is a turning point. The once ill­tempered character agrees to try green eggs and ham. He realizes that he does indeed likes green
eggs and ham and proclaims that he would eat them in a box or with a fox! The nameless character disliked green eggs and ham before he try eating it. But after trying it, a shock a realization hit him that he enjoys green eggs and ham.
Dr. Seuss made it clear to his audience about the theme of Green Eggs and Ham. We need to learn to be adventurous and try things before we decide an official opinion on it. Dr. Seuss leaves the grumpy character in this book unnamed to remind us that we could become that character at times.
There are times in our lives where we tend to judge things before we encounter them as the nameless character did. We judge things like the character did with green eggs and ham. In reality, we all have our own forms of green eggs and ham that we judge before we face it. This book is a enjoyable classic book to read that includes rhymes, illustrations and most importantly, a good lesson to learn.