Attendance at national conferences provides enriching opportunities to network with like-minded educators, showcase practitioner knowledge and skills and raise awareness of current research projects around Australia and beyond. Participation in professional conferences results in changed teacher practice and a stronger, more collaborative profession, where educators learn with and from each other. It is always a valuable experience!
What can we learn from Dr Seuss about the teaching of reading?
Teachers love or hate Dr Seuss books, however the fact remains over 600 million copies of Dr Seuss books have been sold across the world, and this number continues to grow every day. They have been translated into more than 20 languages, evidence that many children, world-wide, continue to learn to read with a helping hand from Dr Seuss (Ishizuka & Stephens, 2019). Dr Seuss books have spanned the generations as favourite tomes for parents to share at bedtime, and for children to practise their developing reading skills, inviting multiple reads.
Theodor Geisel, the person behind the Dr Seuss pseudonym, was a children’s book author and illustrator, who was charged with the task of writing a series of basal readers for young children that engaged them in early reading, and made them want to keep on reading. The Sally, Dick and Jane series of basal readers (Smith, 1965) were becoming lacklustre and needed to be replaced (Biography, 2020; Hershy, 1954).
Those teachers who dislike Dr Seuss talk about the heavy reliance on rhyme, and “stuff and nonsense” content, referring to the whimsical, quirky creatures and “out of this world” storylines in the Dr Seuss texts. We hear much the same argument presented in relation to decodable texts (Hoffman, et al., 2002). Decodable texts are the simplest form of continuous texts where the focus is on introducing sounds sequentially to help children practise the alphabetic code, not specifically on making meaning. That said, many “decodables” do have storylines. Most, however, comprise mainly simple sentences linked to form a cohesive text. They are a tool for early readers to practise their emerging phonics knowledge. The Dr Seuss classic collection of basal readers, known as the Beginner Books, are loosely graded. The initial get started level contains 3 texts, the gaining confidence level contains 21 texts; and the take offlevel comprises 10 texts, each level increasing in vocabulary and sentence complexity (Dr Seuss, 1957, p62). This series is but a small part of the entire Dr Seuss legacy, which contains over 60 books.
Conversely, why do so many people love Dr Seuss? Over 600 million books have been shifted in 17 languages and 95 countries, and they have grown in popularity over the years. It has been estimated that more than 450 000 books have been sold since the death of Geisel in 1991 (Ishizuka and Stephens, 2019 p2). Like “decodables”, the Dr Seuss beginner books also provide opportunities for students to practise their decoding skills and growing phonics knowledge. The texts are creative and colourful, mirroring the illustrative style of the author and illustrator, Theodore Giesel. The graphics and content are engaging and fun. Many stories depict naughty, defiant, disobedient characters (some humanoid, some not) who get up to mischief, what most children love to do. Parents and grandparents, many of whom feel a familiarity and nostalgia sharing Dr Seuss with their offspring, feel “at home” amongst books that they also loved as children. Dr Seuss books have spanned generations of early readers.
That said, some Dr Seuss titles have reached their use-by date. What may have been acceptable in the past in children’ literature is no longer acceptable by today’s standards. The company that owns Dr Seuss Books, Dr Seuss Enterprises, announced that they will cease publishing six titles which contain racist imagery and stereotypes that have no place in today’s children’s literature. Two of the books that have been withdrawn from sale are And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, Geisel’s initial text, and If I Ran the Zoo. Reasons provided by the company are that they “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.” The books have been criticised for racist illustrations and content (NPR, March 2, 2021). The other titles to be permanently removed from sale include McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super! and The Cat’s Quizzer.
Opinion is divided in relation to the removal of these texts from circulation – both online and in print. On one hand, people see the move as yet another example of political correctness gone mad, an example of “cancel culture” (Fine, 2021; Steger, 2020), comparable to the uproar during James Cook’s 250 year celebrations in 2020 over whether Captain Cook’s statues should be removed throughout Australia. We now see another side to this sainted national hero (FitzSimons, 2020; Grant, 2020). When viewed through a contemporary lens, history does not measure James Cook well.
Juxtaposed to this “cancel culture” view is one that Theodore Geisel, in the guise of Dr Seuss, continues to make a significant contribution to children’s literature, as book sales attest, albeit one that has been nuanced to reflect what is obligatory in today’s world (Pratt, 2021; Harris, 2021). No longer do we accept racist and sexist illustrations and or content in books. Geisel’s significant body of work has been trimmed by the gatekeepers, to ensure that the many and varied positive messages of moral inspiration from Dr Seuss, “Seuss-isms” (Dr Seuss Enterprises, 2015), live on to continue to encourage children to achieve goals, build a love of the ebb and flow of the written word and view reading as a fun thing to do, something they strive to excel at. The times are a- changing, and the decision to remove these titles from the Dr Seuss collection reflect this world-view, to ensure children’s literature is inclusive and representative of the multicultural societies in which we live.
References
Biography. (2020). Dr Seuss: the story behind the cat in the Hat. Retrieved https://www.biography.com/news/story-behind-dr-seuss-cat-in-the-hat
Dr Seuss Enterprises. (2015). Seuss-isms! A guide to life for those just starting out… and those already on their way.Harper Collins.
Grant, S. (2020). Between the ship and the shore: The Captain James Cook I know. Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), Opinions. April 28, 2020. Retrieved
Fine, D. (2021). Dr Seuss not cancelled: old stereotypes are being made redundant. Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), Opinions. March 4, 2021. Retrieved https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/dr-seuss-not-cancelled-old-stereotypes-are-being-made-redundant-20210304-p577q1.html
FitzSimons, P. (2020). Captain James Cook the man: a dour doer, not a tinsel talker. Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), Opinions. April 26, 2020. Retrieved https://www.smh.com.au/national/captain-james-cook-the-man-a-dour-doer-not-a-tinsel-talker-20200426-p54ncq.html
Harris, M. (2021). Pulling racist Dr Seuss books makes kids literature better and more inclusive. Washington Post, March 5, 2021. Retrieved https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/seuss-childrens-literature-diversity/2021/03/05/e2838fdc-7db8-11eb-85cd-9b7fa90c8873_story.html
Hershy, J. (1954). Why Do Students Bog Down on the First R? Life Magazine, May 24, p136. Retrieved https://www.originallifemagazines.com/product/life-magazine-may-24-1954/
Hoffman, J.V., Sailors, M., Patterson, E.U. & The Centre for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA). (2002). Decodable texts for beginning reading instruction: the year 2000 basals. Retrieved https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1207/s15548430jlr3403_2
Ishizuka, K. & Stephens, R. (2019). The Cat is Out of the Bag: orientalism, anti-blackness, and white supremacy in Dr Seuss’s children’s books. Retrieved https://sophia.stkate.edu/rdyl/vol1/iss2/4
National Public Radio (NPR). (2021). Dr. Seuss Enterprises Will Shelve 6 Books, Citing ‘Hurtful’ Portrayals. March 2. Retrieved https://www.npr.org/2021/03/02/972777841/dr-seuss-enterprises-will-shelve-6-books-citing-hurtful-portrayals
Pratt, M. (2021). Six Dr Seuss books will no longer be published due to racist images. Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), Opinions. March 3 2021. Retrieved https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/six-dr-seuss-books-will-no-longer-be-published-due-to-racist-images-20210303-p5778m.html
Salem, L. (2021). Documenting the portrayal of diversity in children’s picture books. Taylor Francis Online. 22 Feb 2021. Retrieved https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01462679.2021.1888834?src=&journalCode=wcol20
Steger, J. (2021). The cancel culture that stole Dr Seuss. Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), Opinions. March 3 2021). Retrieved https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/the-cancel-culture-that-stole-dr-seuss-20210303-p577hp.html
Primary teachers understand the importance of using quality literature in the classroom. But how can we keep abreast of the best and latest Aussie books? Have no fear, the CBCA awards are here!
The announcement of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) 2020 awards is big news for primary teachers because they have long been a reliable source of quality Australian literature for classrooms and libraries. Check out their website for both shortlisted and award-winning books: https://cbca.org.au .
We loved the video clip of student responses to the CBCA awards, and in particular, the acknowledgement of country. Well worth a watch with your classes as it depicts the diversity of children, educators and natural landscapes across our wonderful country.
One text that particularly tickled Lorri’s fancy was The Glimme (Emily Rodda and Marc McBride). It was judged an honour book by the CBCA judges. The Glimme is a traditional quest. This genre, a type of narrative, dates back to ancient myths and legends of Greece. Quests are evidenced in most world cultures throughout human history. The quest genre is somewhat formulaic and useful for linking to and scaffolding students’ narrative writing. The hero, alongside companions, faces incredible challenges in order to achieve his dream. The theme relates to triumph over adversity, a ubiquitous message for all in the challenging times in which we find ourselves. Point of view is also evident as the protagonist tell the magical tale through the protagonist’s eyes. Character and code and convention are additional English textual concepts dealt with in the text. We think this text sits well with Years 5 and 6 students. Readers find themselves falling into the intoxicating illustrations of mythical and magical creatures in an alternate world. A unit to accompany this text is currently being prepared to share with interested teachers – watch for announcements or keep an eye on the We love English site: https://primaryenglish.education
Even though The secrets of Magnolia Moon (Edwina Wyatt and Katherine Quinn) targets younger readers (suggest Year 3 or beginning Year 4), the text offers much to teachers in terms of explicitly teaching about language in the context of a quality text, in particular figurative language, vocabulary development and sentence structure, privileging the language strand of the Australian Curriculum: English. Magnolia Moon, an imaginative nine-year-old, communicates with her namesake in the sky, who helps her to navigate the challenges of growing up, in particular what seem to be major life eruptions through the eyes of a child. For example, her best friend moving away, and the mixed emotions she feels on the arrival of a new baby brother. We think this text would be a great initial novel study for Year 3 students. The English textual concept of intertextuality is evidenced throughout as Magnolia draws parallels between her life and the lessons she has learned from reading Greek myths and legends that enrich her life and provide a way forward when navigating the tricky terrain of growing up.
Other picture books from the CBCA short lists that we particularly loved were Yahoo Creek (Tohby Riddle), Louie and Snippy save our seas (Collette Dinnigan and Grant Cowan), and The good son (Pierre-Jacques Ober, Jules Ober and Felicity Coonan), a story about the First World War. The illustrations in this final text comprise fascinating miniature characters set in a battlefield, lending authenticity and a degree of authority to the text. In Yahoo Creek, Riddle has collated newspaper clippings and other types of texts that document the sighting of a hairy creature roaming the Australian bush over many years. The book is intoxicating in its intrigue, tinged with a delicious mix of fear and anticipation. Interestingly, Aboriginal Australians tell similar stories about such creatures to those shared by European Australians in the text. Genre is a conceptual focus of Yahoo Creek as it contains the aforementioned news articles, as well as reports, interviews and short stories, all related to the elusive hairy man who has been consistently sighted in the Australian bush, throughout the Great Dividing Range, over many years. The text, Louie and Snippy save our seas, addresses the shared problem of plastic waste in our oceans in an appealing picture book format, suited to Year 1 and 2 students. This text opens up a communicative space for younger readers to discuss this important ecological issue that impacts us all, building knowledge and understanding about how pollution negatively impacts our natural world and all who inhabit it.
When asked to share her students’ favourite titles from the 2020 CBCA booklist, Rachel, a librarian in a coastal primary school in NSW, responded: “I’m not sure which books the students enjoyed the most. The older students aren’t as forthcoming to pick up a book and read as the younger ones. I read a variety of books with the younger classes and they seemed to enjoy them all. They especially liked When Billy was a dog (Kirsty Murray and Karen Blair) – I think they could relate to the story and imagine themselves doing the same thing as Billy. But other texts were also enjoyed and discussed, including Bat v Poss (Alexa Moses and Anil Tortop), We’re stuck! (Sue de Gennaro), One runaway rabbit (David Metzenthen and Mairead Murphy), Three (Stephen Michael King), Nop (Caroline Magerl), Baby business (Jasmine Seymour), Cooee Mittigar (Jasmine Seymour and Leanne Mulgo Watson) and Fly (Jess McGeachin). Each text has its particular themes and discussion points and we completed a variety of engaging activities to accompany the reading of most texts.”
Lorri Beveridge’s recent English unit, History’s hidden truths, a collaborative endeavour, features the winner of the CBCA Eve Pownall Award for non-fiction, Young dark emu, by Bruce Pascoe. This text is an abridged version of Pascoe’s book for adults, Dark emu, and is very accessible for Years 5 and 6 students. The title, Dark emu, refers to a shape in the dark space between the stars of the Milky Way. While European astronomy focuses on the constellations, many Aboriginal Australians choose to focus on the darkness between the stars. These different ways of seeing are a theme throughout Young dark emu, suggesting that the concept of perspective might be profitably explored. Lorri’s unit is now available on our We love English website: https://primaryenglish.education .
There are many other fantastic books in the 2020 CBCA short lists. These are but a few, just an appetiser for you and your students. We recommend that teachers scan through all nominated titles, not just winners, for texts that are suitable for study, beyond being simply ‘good reads’. Focus on texts that address the needs and interests of your students.
The CBCA judges deserve accolades for bringing these delightful texts to the attention of all educators.
Let’s conclude with the thought-provoking heart-felt words of Tim Winton, spoken in the CBCA video (see link above): “Readers are leaders. Readers are dreamers. Readers are weirdos. Readers are rebels. And I say thank goodness for readers… because where there are readers, there’s hope!”