Shalom Aleichem & Dr. Seuss share the same birthday—what a delicious coincidence!
March 2, 2014
Separated by 45 years, Shalom Aleichem (b) 1859 and Dr. Seuss (b) 1904) were masters at portraying both the splendid and the not so splendid moments of our humanity.
Shalom Aleichem was a leading Yiddish author and playwright whose stories about Tevye the dairyman was the basis for the musical Fiddler on the Roof.
In addition to writing classic books that continue to appeal to children and adults, Dr. Seuss forever changed the way children learned to read when he created The Cat In the Hat, his first I Can Read book. Comprised of 1629 words in length, with a vocabulary of only 223 words, the book was written to teach children how to read.
I believe that if Shalom Aleichem and Dr. Seuss would meet today, they would be friends and soul mates. Each was able to tap into what makes us human and delivered their truths with wisdom and wit. I love when authors are asked whom they would most like to have dinner with. If I could choose to have dinner with anyone, hands down I would choose Shalom Aleichem and Dr. Seuss. I would even be willing to be a fly on the wall!
It is difficult to choose a favorite quote from their many sayings, but here are my choices for the moment.
~ “ You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” Dr. Seuss
~ “No one knows whom the shoe pinches-no one.” Shalom Aleichem
And I can’t resist adding one more of my all time favorites,
~ If somebody tells you, you have ears like a donkey, pay no attenton. But if two people tell you, buy yourself a saddle.”
Shalom Aleichem
“My Best Friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.” Abraham Lincoln
February 12, 2014
Lincoln knew how to choose best friends! I also am delighted to learn that he loved to eat. I just found out that Lincoln carried gingerbread cookies in his pants pockets, which he shared with friends. A person who loves books and cookies is my idea of an ideal friend. If you are interested to […]
What motivates parents to read to their children?
February 7, 2014
Reading brings so many pleasures and benefits but I believe the overriding reason why parents read to their children is that it simply makes them feel good. The intimacy of these shared moments are part of what makes parenting so meaningful and satisfying. Lucky are the adults who can tap into the memory of being […]
Peyton Manning, a very good story
February 3, 2014
A recent article in SF Gate, http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Our-economic-future-depends-on-early-investments-5194170.php highlighted the importance of parents talking to their children so when they enter school they are ready to be successful learners. Talking develops a child’s use and understanding of language, which is the basis of reading. What makes vocabulary valuable and important is not the words themselves so much […]
Children begin to dream their dreams and grow their hopes and aspirations inside the books they read.
February 2, 2014
The books children read have a lasting influence and help shape and change them to become the person they are capable of becoming. A story shows a child who they are at a moment in time and who they might become. Reading is how children better know themselves. “There is no intellectual equivalent to allowing […]
