Every March, children across the nation join together and sing this song to kick off a fun-filled day of wearing tall red-and-white-striped hats, eating green eggs and ham, reading books all day, making up crazy rhymes and letting their imaginations run wild.
It's all in honor of celebrating their favorite children's book author, Theodor Seuss Geisel, who makes reading fun with his crazy rhymes, colorful worlds and extraordinary characters.
Born on March 2, 1904, Dr. Seuss has been with us throughout our entire lives. He's been like a grandpa to many generations with his erratic jokes, silly words and words of advice.
Our love for Seuss grew before we could even read. When we were little, some of us remember Seuss' books were the first ones we grabbed and ran over to our parents' laps with, begging them to read to us. We'd sit and look at the pictures as the crazy words and rhymes ran through our minds, taking our imaginations places we've never been.
"When I was really little, I remember my mom would read me "Oh! The Places You'll Go!" I liked the different words and creatures that he made up, they were fun and entertaining," said Zac Redford, a Clearfield High senior.
Then we began to take matters into our own hands and followed Seuss' written advice: "The more you read, the more you know. The more you know the more places you'll go." And we began sounding out each wacky word and character, like the "gnair on the chair" and "a wocket in your pocket."
"I remember my mom reading me 'Go Dog Go' when I was really little, and that was the first book I learned to read," said Roy High senior Breanne Vandersteen.
Sneetches rule
Once we hit elementary school, the fun exceeded our thoughts, and the annual birthday celebration made us appreciate Dr. Seuss even more.
"I loved Dr. Seuss Day, my favorite was eating green eggs and wearing the giant red-and-white striped hats," said Ogden High senior Garrett Casperson.
Redford said, "I always liked being able to just sit and read and lose myself in the stories that Dr. Seuss wrote."
Now that we're in high school, some of us find Seuss has left deeper meaning for us in his books.
"I love the story, "Oh! The Places You'll Go!" because it's all about the choices we make and getting where we want to go in life, and I love reading it when I can't make a decision," Vandersteen said. " 'You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself in any direction you choose.' "
"The Sneetches" is a tale of a divided social class, where the yellow star-bellied Sneetches are of a higher class than the Sneetches without stars.
"I learned from star-bellied Sneetches that no matter how different we are, we are all equal," said Jordan Silbert, a Syracuse High senior.
Make mine green
Kelsie Thompson likes the message told by Sam I Am, a character who tries to persuade someone else to eat green eggs and ham.
"Reading 'Green Eggs and Ham,' Dr. Seuss taught me to always be willing and open to try new things," the Syracuse High junior said.
Jake Larson, a junior at Fremont High, added, "It helped me try new things such as food, such as vegetables."
Bridger Bennion, a Fremont High senior, finds meaning in "The Lorax," a story about protecting the truffula trees.
"The Earth is important and just because you're one person, you can make a difference because one voice can change a lot of people's minds," Bennion said.
With more than 60 titles and 200 million copies of books sold, Dr. Seuss -- who died in 1991 -- seems to have affected not only our reading but our view on how we see the world and can make it a better place.
"And will you succeed?," Seuss writes in "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" "Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed."
Kiersten Voorhees is a senior at Roy High. E-mail her at voorheeski@gmail.com.
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