And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
My First Suess!
I owe so much to a childhood that had so many obstacles.
I was an odd kid, as my parents and relatives reminded me constantly when I was a failure on the football - yes, soccer - pitch, or chose certain types of music to play at parties, or when I wanted to spend time alone with my favourite books.
And what were those books I enjoyed as a kid?
An atlas and a split dictionary.
My family did not have piles of literature that I could dive into after school, so the first books I read were reference tools that my father owned. The dictionary was divided between ''Lobar'' and ''Lobate'' (look them up), and the atlas was printed in the 1950s (it had a bit of discussion on the conquest of Mt. Everest and that new tricky province now accepted into Canada called Newfoundland). I learned to take in facts and make them a part of my thoughts, a habit that became useful as a college instructor; did not help me assimilate with the normal people out there.
School was a good source for some writing, but it all came from a reader or textbook, and even as a child, I felt very suspicious about the material they wanted us to read. There was a series called Mr. Mugs that was colour-coded according to the grade level and skill of the student who had the book, and many of my classmates clamoured to pass and succeed to the next level. I never really cared either way. They were books designed to teach us lessons, i.e. medicine disguised as candy. The books at home and the phonetic reader we had for one course were much more interesting.
So, I was a loner, even on the page...until...
We visited many relatives when I was a kid, spending time eating, laughing, listening to music, watching TV, and basically showing ourselves to be social and willing to hear the same stories and do the same things over and over again. I did not mind this...except in one particular case. No names will be included here, but I have a clear memory of staying over at their place - where did my parents go? - and feeling that my oddness really was impossible to escape. I was judged on things beyond the reading and the tastes I had: my hair was wrong; my choice of breakfast was unusual (cereal?); I had no love of sports; I preferred to be on my own (gee, I wonder why?).
And then one day, in a quiet little nook under the stairs, I found it.
I still cannot understand why they had a complete set of Dr. Seuss books almost hidden in that same basement where I spent the night and ate my breakfast. None of their children, as far as I could see, ever read a book (they were surprised at my skills with the literature section of Trivial Pursuit). No one had ever talked about novels, poetry or anything artistic (you take what you can get as a kid of first-generation immigrant parents). And there was something else that even young me could not help but notice:
The books were in order.
I had to check. The series had dates inside the covers - as do all published books, and ''Mulberry Street'' began this particular journey into the amazing work of Theodore Geisel.
Rejected by twenty publishers before being released in 1937, it felt very contemporary and imaginative at the same time (Beatrix Potter was an early fan). The boy who observes all the happenings on the street - Marco, on his way home from school - made me so jealous. Why couldn't I see such things as zebras, elephants, magicians, an over-bearded man, spectacles and the like on the quiet suburban streets we had just moved into? It felt unfair, especially later when I found out it was named after an actual street in Mr. Geisel's hometown. But it led to the imaginative development of a child who was still discovering the power of words.
I know that there is a great deal of controversy about the depictions of certain races and cultures in his work (noting that most of these complaints are not coming from the ones caricatured), but there is still nothing to compare to that early exposure to the magical world of language and character in a Dr. Seuss book.
*
Thank you for reading!
If you liked this, you can add your Insights, Comment, leave a Heart, Tip, Pledge, or Subscribe. I will appreciate any support you have shown for my work.
You can find more poems, stories, and articles by Kendall Defoe on my Vocal profile. I complain, argue, provoke and create...just like everybody else.
Give it a look...
About the Creator
Kendall Defoe
Teacher, reader, writer, dreamer... I am a college instructor who cannot stop letting his thoughts end up on the page.
And I did this: Buy Me A Coffee... And I did this:
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Keep reading
More stories from Kendall Defoe and writers in BookClub and other communities.
The Dead Zone
Do you believe that you are born for a purpose in this world; that we all have some sort of fate that awaits us, no matter what other plans we have in mind? The joke is if you want to make g*d laugh, tell him your plans. I wonder about that sometimes, especially after reading another Stephen King novel.
By Kendall Defoe 9 months ago in BookClub
My To Be Read List
I have been taking some time away from writing. I haven't forgotten about Vocal, the truth is I just have been too busy pursuing other things to write online and honestly, my little family and I just had a really hard month between the flu and a weird eye infection/cold circulating our house. I'm currently sipping some warm peppermint tea because my throat is sore.
By Chloe Rose Violet ๐น11 days ago in BookClub
Mousumi Acharya: A Rising Star in the Literary Sky
In the bustling world of literature, a new name has begun to shine bright โ Mousumi Acharya. Hailing from the culturally rich city of Varanasi, Mousumi has emerged as a beacon of creativity and storytelling prowess, captivating readers with her poignant tales and evocative poetry.
By Gyanvriksha Publicationsabout 10 hours ago in BookClub
Inshallah
Istanbul is a city bristling with life, a place where past and present, sacred and profane, intertwine under the watchful gaze of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque. As I explore this crossroads of cultures with Maya, my nine-year-old niece and the daughter of my late brother-in-law Frank, and my wife Nadia, Frank's sister, I find myself on a journey not just through Istanbul's history, but also into the depths of my own beliefs. Staying with Maya and her mother Elvan, my sister-in-law, I begin to see the city anew through their eyes, and to understand why James Baldwin said it "revived" him.
By Geoffrey Philp 7 days ago in Wander
Comments (26)
Oh! The Classics
"Mulberry Street" was my favorite Suess book of all time. Nothing else he wrote compared to it. My delights in observing the world around me with active imagination began with that story.
Classics!
I love Dr Seuss. I grew up reading him, and as a nanny, I still spend 5 days a week reading him. Yet, I never heard of this book. I appreciated the inclusion of the video. I watched that before I read your story. Your nonfiction stories are always my favorite. Not just because theyโre well-written, with a distinctive voice. But also because youโre a bit of an enigma, and I love taking a peek into your world. Iโm not at all surprised this was a Top Story. Congrats! ๐ฅ
https://vocal.media/education/cultivating-a-good-reading-culture
Congratulations on your Amazing Top Storyโค๏ธ๐ฏ๐๐๐
Congrats on Top Story (TS), I remember vividly and in voracious detail, of the many books changed me.
Congratulations on Top Story!
It's a valuable thing--more than most people realize, I suspect--to have such vivid memories of one's childhood. It keeps one in touch with who one really is, and helps one relate to other children. As for me, Dr. Seuss's "Horton Hears a Who" changed my life when I was a child! It was actually the TV cartoon version, but it was very faithful to the book. After watching Horton the elephant discover an entire world in a dust spec, I went outside and looked at ants, thinking "they have a whole world and don't even know I'm here watching them." Then, I looked up to the sky....
The atlas and split dictionary helped pave the way: good reminiscence! I have never read that one before. Congratulations on Top Story ๐พ
Congrats on TS! I think many of us here found solace in words. Iโm glad youโve found your voice here!
Super interesting read! love the image of you huddled under the stairs reading! Lovely work! ๐
Back to say Congratulations!! Prediction has manifested into reality. ๐
It's so much fun to learn about different people's journey with books. Your early adventures with the written word is certainly something of many interesting peaks and valleys.
Awesome insight. When my younger son was much younger, (he's now 56), his elementary school teacher had a battle getting him to read the required "children's" books. During a parent-teacher conference, I asked him as his teacher sat there why he refused to read those books. His answer was simple: "They're stupid. An alligator can't climb in a boat with an elephant and find a new world. The dog can't sit on the back of a bird and look at the ground." His teacher was amazed. Jim was only 8 years old. His very wise teacher made a deal with my son. "Pick out any book in the bookcase that you want to read. I will lend it to you as long as you still read what the school says you need to read." Jim agreed. The book he chose was about a child's visit to the local doctor where the physician would use, as Jim put it, "the doctor tools" (stethoscope, thermometer, etc.)
Great Read!!! Sorry, I had to laugh at the "atlas and split dictionary." line. Only because I could feel how it must have felt to need more when that was all there was. I respect that you are an avid reader. I wish I would have spent more time reading when I was younger. I used to start books but never finish them ๐.
This was such a great insight to your upbringing! I also love your insights and thoughts on the works of Dr.Seuss! I can see how now people are offended or cautious about the series now as not only are they long winded but character depiction in them is considered edgy now. But I also feel like its important to keep them around for the nostalgia and as a teachable moment for other generations, the idea of how culture has and will continue to change!
So many writers here were lonely kids during childhood. Saved by books and words and fairy tales of magic. We all sound similar. I don't know this series that well, but I see all around. So happy you found it.
Your childhood was very relatable to me! Sadly, I've never read any Dr. Seuss books! But I should, lol!
Those books differed so radically form anything that was written for children. I was hooked on as many as I could get my hands on. Great article
Dr. Seuss is awesome! Well done! Good writing!
I have loved Dr. Suess since the first time I read him. The only book of his I returned to the book club was the one about colors where black & brown were both given somewhat negative meaning. (Yes, I was one of those. But I figured that a "Half-rican-American" as he liked referring to himself had enough to deal with growing up with two white parents who was bullied by other students most of his life--I didn't think he needed that one.) Last week we picked up my wife's sister at KCI in Kansas City, then drove her back for her flight the following Saturday. Each way we drove past an intersection where the road was called Mulberry Road & each time I thought of Dr. Suess & his delightful books.
LOVE!!!
Great story, Kendall. I think empaths make the best writers. This one is going on the finals list. Itโs insightful and meaningful. Well done.
It was very fascinating to learn about the younger you. One small fix on this line. โ We visited many relatives when I was kid,โ you forgot the letter โaโ. Great story! Iโm predicating a top story for this one.