You know about Dr. Seuss, and you know about the Grinch. But do you know the story behind the story?
When Ted (we know him as Dr. Seuss) was 53 years old, he was fed up with Christmas. He was tired of the noise, the constant activity, and the busy-ness, and he wished everyone would get along with each other.
His desire was that people would celebrate the joy and peacefulness of Christmas without all the hoopla detracting from it.
So what did he do? He wrote a story about it. He created a Scrooge-like creature who hates the noise and celebration of Christmas. Ted writes this in the story:
Why, for fifty-three years, I’ve put up with it now!
I MUST stop this Christmas from coming! . . . But HOW?
This fellow steals the Christmas toys, trees, candy, and even the Christmas dinner. Eventually, though, this small-hearted creature learns the joy of Christmas and joins in on the festivities with those he had stolen from.
Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) used How the Grinch Stole Christmas! to voice his complaint and to somehow fix the problem.
Now it’s your turn: Write a story or poem about something that bothers you and how you would like it to be fixed, as Dr. Seuss did with Christmas.
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