Next Up: Beowulf

Ever since young Master Sam sat raptly through an entire reading of Green Eggs and Ham at the age of four months, the works of Dr. Seuss have been in pretty heavy rotation around our house. This could explain why, when one of his grandmothers asked him who would be coming down the chimney at Christmas, he immediately responded with "The Grinch!"

I knew Sam was a fan of the Grinch and his holiday-thwarting shenanigans, but I didn't realize how big a fan until I overheard him reciting the following to himself, verbatim, while he was noodling around with his toy cars:

And the Grinch grabbed the tree, and he started to shove,
When he heard a small sound like the coo of a dove.
He turned around fast, and he saw a small Who!
Little Cindy-Lou Who, who was not more than two.

The Grinch had been caught by this little Who daughter,
Who'd got out of bed for a cup of cold water.
She stared at the Grinch and said, "Santy Claus, why,
Why are you taking our Christmas tree? WHY?"

But, you know, that old Grinch was so smart and so slick,
He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick!
"Why, my sweet little tot," the fake Santy Claus lied,
"There's a light on this tree that won't light on one side.
So I'm taking it home to my workshop, my dear.
I'll fix it up there. Then I'll bring it back here."

And his fib fooled the child. Then he patted her head
And he got her a drink and he sent he to bed.
And when Cindy-Lou Who went to bed with her cup,
HE went to the chimney and stuffed the tree up!

Then the last thing he took
Was the log for their fire.
Then he went up the chimney himself, the old liar.
On their walls he left nothing but hooks, and some wire.

And the one speck of food
That he left in the house
Was a crumb that was even too small for a mouse.

Then he did the same thing
To the other Whos' houses,
Leaving crumbs
Much too small
For the other Whos' mouses!

Now if only this awesome toddler brain power could be channelled into something like, say, learning not to poop his pants.