Dr. Seuss and PC

Since the advent of Dr. Seuss week at my son's preschool in March, my son has been checking out from the library every available Dr. Seuss book that we don't already own.

I've long been a fan of Dr. Seuss. As a first-grader, I checked out Fox in Socks from my elementary school library so many times that my teacher had a talk with my mother to suggest I try some other books. My husband bequeathed to our son his extensive collection of Seuss "Bright and Early," "Beginner" and "I Can Read Books" from when he taught elementary school. And numerous friends and relatives have gifted our son with such Dr. Seuss classics as The Lorax, Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose, Yertle the Turtle and Horton Hears a Who.

Still, I was surprised by the number of Seuss books I hadn't ever heard of: The King's Stilts, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, I Had Trouble Getting to Solla Sollew, I can Lick 30 Tigers Today!, McElligot's Pool. Although, after having read some, I'm not surprised they aren't as widely circulated today.

"With helpers who all wear their eyes at a slant"

"And, speaking of birds, there's the Russian Palooski,

Whose headski is redski and belly is blueski,"

-- If I Ran the Zoo

Obviously, a reflection of a different era in political correctness.