[Jim Moonan]

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Kevin: “Children can tell the difference between cartoonish depictions and real life. They don't think rabbits talk simply because they watched bugs bunny, or think humans and dinosaurs coexist because they watched flintstones.”


Where to begin? This is patently false — Or at the very least grossly misleading. It smacks of simplification and indifference/ignorance about the development of the human brain and the windows of learning that present themselves from birth. It is a convenient way of dismissing adult responsibility to provide guidance, protection and context for children as they wade into the ever-widening waters of interactions with the world. It’s a laissez faire attitude towards dynamic education. It is the opposite extreme of cancel culture. Find your way back to the middle.

The Seuss books are considered a prominent resource for development of
reading/apprehension/language skills during the crucial early childhood years (0 — 5 years, which is who Seuss books are written for). What makes the Seuss canon so effective is that they attract the child’s imagination through graphic depictions that compliment word content of the books, augmenting the language with graphic pictures that are integral to forming a sturdy bridge to learning during early years.

The act of reading to your child is arguably the best activity you can engage in, not just because it develops listening/language skills and provides a window to learning about the ever-widening world, but just as importantly because it allows the parent to engage in conversation with the child about our culture, our values, indeed our reason for being in the process.
There is no single being that is the same as anyone else. Children are more nuanced and free-thinking than you give credit. Eventually, down the developmental road when enough learning has taken place and enough physiological development has taken place, then yes, they will be expected to distinguish between what is a "cartoonish depiction and real life". But no one is born with the innate ability to sort things out on their own. Cognitive, social, emotional, language and speech skills are the unfinished business of life. Indeed, it is never finished.

Where should I point you to help you begin your decidedly more difficult re-education.......? You’re smart. I’m sure you'll find it on your own if you care enough learn.

I’m buoyed by the Seuss foundation’s proactive efforts to preserve the value of Geisel’s genius.

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