Search Results for: blog dr seuss series if i ran the circus

American Eskimo Dog

Posted on by

The American Eskimo dog is a Nordic breed that shares ancestry with the Keeshond, the Pomeranian, and various Spitzes. Until 1917, it was called the American Spitz; these days, you can call it the Eskie. Why the name change from American Spitz to American Eskimo dog? Experts aren’t really sure. Some believe that the name “Eskimo” was included to emphasize the dog’s cold-weather origins. “Spitz” doesn’t quite evoke the same image of thickly-furred dogs. The breed rose to popularity during the 19th century, when the small white dogs were used in circus acts. The Eskie excelled at performing thanks to … Continue reading →

Bichon Frise

Posted on by

It’s hard to forget a Bichon Frise if you’ve seen or met one. These little wooly white dogs are clever and playful. The breed comes from the Mediterranean and is descended from the Barbet (also known as the Water Spaniel). Originally called the “Barbichon”, the name was shortened to Bichon. These little dogs traveled well and were often used in trade between continents. Spanish sailors introduced the breed to the Canary Islands; Italian sailors rediscovered the little dogs in the 1300s and brought them back to Europe. During the Renaissance, the Bichon Frise was seen as a court dog under … Continue reading →

The Magical, Mystical, Marvelous Coat – Catherine Ann Cullen

“The Magical, Mystical, Marvelous Coat” is the story of a girl and her favorite piece of outerwear. She lists six reasons why it’s a magical coat. You see, there are six buttons that march down the front. The first one is labeled “cold,” the second, “warm,” and the third plays music. The fourth is shaped like a star, while the fifth is like a stone. The sixth button is a little tiny doll, who is also wearing a coat. One day, she went out to see what she could see. She came upon a giant who was miserable. Being so … Continue reading →

What Shall We Play? – Sue Heap

It’s time to play pretend! In “What Shall We Play?” by Sue Heap, we explore the wonderful world of imagination and all the fun we can have there. Lily Mae wants to play fairies, but Matt wants to pretend to be trees. He acts the role of a big tree, while Martha is a shaky tree and Lily Mae is a quiet tree. They all reached their arms up to the sky, pretending that their branches were climbing toward the sun. Their impersonations are really quite good – I nearly mistook them for actual trees. Lily Mae would like to … Continue reading →

Dr. Seuss Series: My Many Colored Days

“My Many Colored Days” wasn’t published until after the death of Theodore Giesel. His wife found it in 1992, the year after he passed on, and she brought it down to the publishers. He hadn’t wanted to do his own illustrations for it – he hoped to find an illustrator who could give it a whole different feel. His publisher located such illustrators in Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, and this book was released in 1996. Dr. Seuss liked to compare his emotions to colors, saying that he felt orange or purple that day. He put these thoughts to rhyme, … Continue reading →

Dr. Seuss Series: The Sneetches

This Dr. Seuss classic children’s book was first published in 1961. There are two varieties of Sneetches, those who have stars on their bellies, and those who don’t. The stars aren’t terribly big, and you wouldn’t think it would cause that much of a problem, but—it did. You see, the star-bellied Sneetches thought themselves to be much better than the plain-bellied Sneetches. Whenever they would pass each other, the ones with stars wouldn’t even talk to those without, and children with stars wouldn’t play with children without. It really was very sad, and the plain-bellied Sneetches felt very sad. But … Continue reading →

Dr. Suess Series: Yertle the Turtle and other stories

The immortal Yertle was first published by the equally immortal Dr. Seuss in 1950. Once upon a time, on the island of Sala-ma-Sond, lived a colony of turtles over which Yertle was the king. He reigned from a rock he called his throne, but he was beginning to get frustrated. A great king really ought to be able to see all he rules over, and from that lowly stone, he couldn’t see much at all. So he began piling turtles on top of each other to make him a higher throne. The higher he climbed, the more delighted he became. … Continue reading →

Dr. Seuss Series: If I Ran the Circus

This classic Dr. Seuss tale was first published in 1956. Our hero for this story is Morris McGurk. He has the most wonderful idea. Back behind Sneelock’s Store is a vacant lot, and if he can get all the cans cleaned out of it, it would make a fabulous place for a circus – but not any old circus, no. The Circus McGurkus! There will be acrobats, jugglers and clowns. Morris is really going to go all out to make this the greatest show on earth, or anywhere. He will, of course, have to make about five hundred gallons of … Continue reading →