Annie,Jenese,andLeidy

Interest Level: K-2 Guided Reading: K Book Type: Beginning Reader Book Genre/Theme:  Classics  Comedy and Humor  Rhyming Story Topics:  Imagination  Communication

 “And To Think That I saw It on Mulberry Street” is a book written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss.  Published on Dec.21,1937.  First children's book he wrote.  Was rejected by about 27 or 28 publishers, but eventually published by Vanguard Press.  Originally titled “A Story That No One Can Beat”.  “Mulberry Street” is an actual street in Springfield, Massachusetts, not far from where Dr. Seuss grew up on Fairfield Street.  Dr. Seuss wrote the story as a commentary about how he felt adults destroy and deform children’s imagination.  The Book was Awarded in 1988 by the Association for Childhood International Books for Children Literature.

This book reflects the type of miscommunication that can develop between a parent and a child. This can create barriers that can keep a child from expressing themselves to their parents. Marco’s father needed to learn to allow his son to use his imagination, all the while helping Marco differentiate between what is real and what he makes up.

Both adult and children alike will love Marco’s imagination and will want to keep turning the page to see what he comes up with next. Since teachers and parents are often complaining that children are lacking creativity skills more so now because of video games and TV, “And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street” is an excellent book to help encourage children to use their imagination.

In some older versions of “And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street” Seuss used the word “chinaman”, but now he uses “Chinese man”.

Other Facts… Dr. Seuss wrote the book to distract himself from the sound of the motor from a boat he had just came off from on a European Cruise. Hence the rhyming sequence falls in time to the engines noise. Vanguard Press was common for publishing radical topics such as, Studies of the Soviet Union, socialist theories and politically orientated theories. They later when sold became known as Random House, who published all of Seuss other books. The book inspired the song “Looking out my back door” by Credence Clearwater Revival.