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Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
The Seuss! exhibit celebrates the whimsical rhymes, memorable characters, and rich tradition of silliness and make-believe of Dr. Seuss, who revolutionized the way children learn to read and experience literature. At the same time, Seuss! promotes literacy and the fun of reading to young children and their families. Seuss! invites visitors to step into the pages of a Dr. Seuss book through life-size scenes from well-loved Seuss classics, including The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, There’s A Wocket in My Pocket! and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. Dynamic murals with quotes from these books emphasize the connection between the exhibit’s playful activities and the written word.
A climb-on soft sculpture of the seven-hump Wump of Gump is the place to go “bump, bump,” while the Hop on Pop mat is for “hop, hop, hop.” Children can “fish” from the boat from Green Eggs and Ham, then crawl through the book’s train tunnel. Even the smallest visitor can pretend-swim in the One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish pond. In addition to creative play experiences, the exhibit’s word and letter games use the approaches successfully established in the Dr. Seuss books for beginner readers to help children hone early reading skills. A whimsical reading tent -- stocked with Dr. Seuss titles -- is a cozy place for children to read with the important adults in their lives. And the fantabulous Cat in the Hat himself will make appearances throughout the exhibit’s run. “Dr. Seuss’s genius was his ear for words and his talent for connecting pictures to those words,” said Kit Goolsby, the Museum’s director of education. “By using rhyming words to convey meaning, even when the words were nonsense, and positioning words and visuals in a way that leads the reader from page to page and concept to concept, he taught millions of American children to love reading.” Reproductions of original artwork and photographs presented in the gallery area of Seuss! shed light on the life and creative process of Theodor S. Geisel, the real-life Dr. Seuss. These elements reveal how Geisel struggled with the first sentence of Horton Hatches the Egg, and how the green stuff in Barthomew and the Oobleck was originally pink. Seuss! was created with the gracious consent of Mrs. Audrey Geisel, widow of Theodor S. Geisel, the cooperation of Mr. Herb Cheyette of International Creative Management, and Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Seuss! was developed by the Children’s Museum of Manhattan with support from the Riggio Foundation. It was adapted for travel in collaboration with Chicago Children’s Museum. All reproductions of original artwork are from the Dr. Seuss Collection, Mandeville Special Collections Library, University of San Diego. The 10-city national tour of Seuss! is presented by Target. The Seuss! exhibit will be on display at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History through September 29, 2002. The Museum is located at 1501 Montgomery Street in Fort Worth’s Cultural District. Admission to Seuss! is included with the Museum’s regular exhibits admission. Exhibit admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $5 for children 3-12. Children under 3 are admitted free. The Museum’s exhibits are open Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday Noon to 5:30 p.m. For more information call 817/255-9300 or go to www.fortworthmuseum.org. Edited by Dave Shultz |
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Oh, the places you’ll
go and the things you’ll do in Seuss!, an interactive exhibit opening
June 22, 2002, at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History!
Children can explore
the house the Cat in the Hat visited, have fun with Thing One and Thing Two
in their Fun-in-a-Box, and climb aboard the Cat’s clean-up machine
that makes cleaning up more fun than making a mess. Imaginary culinary
creations like Munch Hunch Lunch and Gruvvulous Greens can be invented in
the house’s kitchen. The kitchen is also a great place to search and find
images of characters from Wocket in My Pocket. Look around! There’s a
Jertain in the curtain, some Nupboards in the cupboards, a Nink in the sink,
and other Seussian creatures hiding about!