Nostalgic Friday: Dr. Seuss Favorites

Welcome back to Nostalgic Friday! Since I love all things historical (culturally, physically, and personally) I do a post on Fridays honoring some awesome book that is a bit older. Many of them are books I enjoyed in my teens and others are books that I discovered as an adult that I think are relevant to YA readers.

This week I am featuring 3 of my all-time favorite Dr. Seuss books: And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street (first published 1937), Oh the Places You'll Go (1990), and The Lorax (1971). I truly believe that while Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel intended most of his books for children, there is something that everyone can take away from one of his books.

And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street has become a recent favorite of mine because of my "Lil' Sis" class from my alma mater. MC Class of 2010's senior year Cornhuskin' theme was based around this book and after seeing their beautiful and humorous twist I checked out the original. The story follows a young child as he walks down Mulberry Street. He's been instructed to keep his eyes open for anything interesting, but all he sees are the daily standards. So he starts dreaming up all the wild and crazy things that could happen on the street. It's a wonderful book about children's imaginations and what they're capable of.

Oh the Places You'll Go is a fantastic book about moving on. It was first read to me on the first day of 10th grade. That year changed my life and there's no way I'd rather have it. This book started that year off right. But it doesn't really matter if you're changing jobs, graduating (from anything) or if you're getting married, everyone can take away a new perspective on their future after reading this book. A quote:

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

This book means so much to me and I read it whenever I'm feeling down about where life is taking me. It's really helped me adjust to stressful changes in my life.

Finally, my most favoritest Dr. Seuss book ever is The Lorax. Ever since I was a child, and saw The Lorax short film on t.v., I have been in love with this story. The destruction and devastation were a necessary evil in order to create a story for the lorax. It was amazing to see how the lorax never gave up no matter how much his enemy ignored him. Even in the end, he leaves a bit of himself behind so that the fight will continue on long after he has given in. Something about that just really stuck with me as a kid and I tend to agree with the lorax. An amazing story that I love, I think I might even incorporate it on my literary half-sleeve (tattoo) that I've been planning forever.

A classic writer with much more to offer, there's a Dr. Seuss book for everyone. What is your favorite or if you haven't read any, where would you like to start?