Skeptics need only attend the annual Dr. Seuss birthday party at the Missoula Public Library to see for themselves.
It happened on Sunday, as it has for years.
No one squirmed or yelled. No one cried or whined.
Instead, the room crowded with small people sat attentively, wide-eyed with wonder, hanging onto every word - real or “Seussical.”
The most attentive was Larry Leonard, a freckle-faced 4-year-old who is best at being busy.
When the reading was over, Leonard jumped to his feet, scrambling to the library shelves for another Dr. Seuss book - to be read, right then.
He confessed rather boldly that “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” is his favorite Dr. Seuss book, and explained why: “Because I act like the Grinch sometimes.”
His accurate self-assessment made his mother, Clair, laugh out loud, which is what reading Dr. Seuss is all about, she said.
“His stories are musical and that's what makes it appealing,” Clair said. “They are funny and safe and outrageous at the same time.”
“Really funny,” chimed in 8-year-old Brighid Leonard, Larry's older sister.
The annual event is part of a national literacy program called America Reads American Counts, explained Colleen Crane, who works for the University of Montana's Office for Civic Engagement and helped organize this year's event in partnership with the library.
“This is really about getting kids to read and getting them excited about it,” Crane said.
And no one gets children more excited about reading than the revered Dr. Seuss.
“He really appeals to a variety of kids and adults,” said Karen Gonzales, children's librarian at the Missoula Public Library.
“He's the one who invented the easy beginners book - stories with just a few words that are repeated over and over again.
“I think people love his stories,” she said, “because he is so humorous.”
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