Like all of us, when I think of Dr. Seuss I think of wacky
rhymes, but the one Dr. Seuss book that always comes to mind is Wacky Wednesday.
As a child this was my favourite book. I read this book
religiously for two years. I’d hide away from my siblings and read it on my
own, finding palm trees in toilets and crocodiles in prams. I could do that easily with Wacky Wednesday.
As a six year old, still
learning to read independently, it was an enjoyable read with lots of repetitive
words and rhyme and a huge focus on the visual element of the story. It
wasn’t filled with Seuss-invented words that I needed my parents’ help to read
and pronounce.
Silly I know, but there was a part of me that believed the
story. Each Wednesday during Grade 4 as
I would get ready for school, I’d hope that it would be a wacky day for me. I
finally gave up on waking to a Wacky Wednesday and instead decided to pay
homage to the book by proclaiming that every Wednesday would be Opposite Day
for my friends and I. We’d say words
that were opposite in meaning to what we intended. The whole class played along
and it certainly felt wacky to me. It went on for a few weeks until our teacher
grew frustrated with the game.
Like all favourite childhood books, Wacky Wednesday has found a place in my adult home. My daughter and
I have fun together as we look for the wacky things to find on each page.
Looking back I can see why I was attracted to Wacky Wednesday. I’ve got quite a visual
memory and I’m easily bothered by asymmetry. It wasn’t hard for me to find the
peculiarities on each page, but fun nonetheless.
Jackie is the founder of My Little Bookcase - where you can read more about her complete obsession with children's book and literacy.
