Dr. Seuss shines because his work is a vivid reminder of the adage, "Less is more."

Sought out in 1954, Dr. Seuss was challenged by Ellsworth Spaulding, then director of Houthton Mifflin's education division, to "Write me a story that first-graders can't put down."

Already acclaimed, but not complacent, Dr. Seuss accepted the challenge. Seuss accepted, despite Spaulding's insistence that the book's vocabulary be limited to 225 words from a list of 348 that he asserted every six-year old should know.

Nine months later Dr. Seuss finished The Cat in The Hat. He successfully used 223 words that appeared on the list plus some that were not. All tolled this childhood classic is 1629 words.

Dr. Seuss wrote an average of six words a day. Six perfectly crafted, carefully selected, and beautifully placed words a day. Six.

Fifty-seven years later the message of this 1629-word American classic can be heard loud and clear.  It is not how much we do that makes us shine, but rather how well we do what we do.

Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday, according to brownielocks.com, making it the perfect cause for celebration. My family will toast Dr. Seuss by eating green eggs and ham for dinner and then we will top the night off with a big serving of The Cat in the Hat.

How about you? Use ten words or less to tell us how you might celebrate. And, use at least one word from the vocabulary list below:

Shining off until tomorrow...