Friday, March 2, 2012

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!


Today is the birthday of renowned children's author Dr. Seuss.  Theodor Seuss Geisel was a writer, poet, and cartoonist who is known for his use of imaginative characters, rhyme, and frequent use of trisyllabic meter in the 46 books he published.  I remember my parents and teachers reading his stories to me as a child and we've made them a big part of my kids learning experiences.  Dr. Seuss passed away in 1991 and would have been 108 years old today, but he is still alive in the hearts of every child and parent who continues to enjoy his work.  Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

When my children were younger I used to read them Dr. Seuss's "ABCs" book every day.  We still read that and his other books such as "The Cat in the Hat" , "The Lorax" & "Green Eggs & Ham" to our kids regularly. As our twins have gotten older though, we've begun letting them use our PC and iPad to play with and learn from educational apps.  Oceanhouse Media has done a nice job of publishing Dr. Seuss' works as interactive storybook apps  for mobile IOS, Android, and Nook devices.  We have several of  these that we enjoy loaded on both my iPad and iPhone.  In recognition of Dr. Seuss birthday (March 2), Oceanhouse Media is having a special sale on select storybook apps.  They are also giving away TODAY for FREE two of their Dr. Seuss games, Dr. Seuss Band & Lorax Garden.  CLICK HERE for more information.
Dr. Seuss Band allows you to create some really unique interests and play Seussian melodies.  According to Oceanhouse Media features of the game include:
  • 2 Ways to Play - Go for high scores in the Music Game or use Free Play to compose your own tunes.
  • 10 Original Songs - Play along with the soundtrack from The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss's ABC, Hop on Pop and more!
  • 5 Unique Horn Instruments - Play Seussian versions of the Trumpet, French Horn, Clarinet, Trombone and Flute
  • 10 Crazy Horn Effects - Customize the sound of your horn by adding fun effects like a Fish Bowl, Train Whistle, Reverb and more!
  • Mix and Match Horns - Swap parts of the horn while playing to create over 120 Horn Combinations
  • 3 Difficulty Levels - Choose Easy for beginners, Medium for experienced players and Hard for experts.
  • 26 Unlockables - Achieve high scores to unlock Songs, Horns and Effects.



In the Lorax Garden game your mission is to regrow the world's lost Truffula tree forests! Oceanhouse Media lists the features of the game as:
  • Design your Truffula tree – Choose the color, leaf shape, trunk shape, and trunk pattern for each tree in your forest.
  • Grow your tree – Water the trees in your nursery and watch them grow before your eyes!
  • Grow flowers - Watch your flowers bloom as you give them water, pull weeds, and shoo harmful insects away.
  • Share your creations – Email beautiful postcards of the trees and flowers you grew to friends & family.
  • Numerous challenges – Each forest has different needs which become more challenging as the game progresses.
  • View your progress – The world map shows how many forests you've regrown and how many still need your help!


Also in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday the new movie based upon his book "The Lorax" begins showing at movie theaters across the country.   This 3-D animated movie from the producers of Despicable Me features the voices of Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift and Betty White.  My wife and I are really looking forward to taking our kids to see this as the "The Lorax" with its message of environmental stewardship and community responsibility is one of our all-time favorite books. If you have an iPhone or iPad also check out the movie's FREE game:  Truffula Shuffula which is like Tetris with truffula trees.

On a side note, Despicable Me is also a family favorite for us and we are really excited that a sequel is coming to theaters next year.  Looking forward to Steve Carell and his minions in Despicable Me 2!

Additionally for all things Dr. Seuss make sure you visit the official website www.seussville.com which is full of interactive features and learning features, plus fun and educational activities, crafts, and learning tools for your kids.


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