Seuss

"Grinchmas" is returning to Universal Studios Hollywood this weekend, and a sleighful of celebrities have signed on for the twice-daily readings of Dr. Seuss' classic, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas. " Bob Newhart, Florence Henderson, Wayne Brady, Donna Mills, Fred Willard, Luz Rios, Tiffani Thiessen, Brandy and Nolan Gould (who plays Luke on "Modern Family") are among the performers who will be doing readings at the annual "Grinchmas" celebration. It also includes a snow-filled play area, a 60-foot Christmas tree, costumed singers, photo opportunities with the characters of the Grinch and his dog, Max, and a view from the tour tram of sets that were used in Universal's 2000 film adaptation of the book.

Hmmm. What rhymes with science? TV viewers may find out on Sept. 6. That's when PBS plans to introduce "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!," an animated series for preschoolers about science. Martin Short will give voice to Dr. Seuss' famous feline. "In the same way the original 'The Cat in the Hat' book has introduced generations of children to the joys of reading, 'The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!' will encourage children to explore the wonders of science and nature," said Kate Klimo, an executive at Random House, whose "The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library" book series is the basis for the series.

How fantastic to see "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss getting some well-deserved attention ("The Lorax Gets a Little Louder," by Erik Himmelsbach, Dec. 14). I read this often overlooked book to my kids a generation ago and we enjoyed an audio version of it by Ted Danson many times over -- worth it if you can find it. Further, I paid homage to the story in my recently published "The Old Man & the Tree" (Outskirts Press) -- also worth it! The message is simple. Honor nature, don't abuse it. Frank Shapiro Northridge

The little kids understand. My 6-year-old son, Emmett, reads Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" at least once a week and can explain the message of the book succinctly. "It's about ruining God's creations, that money's not more important than nature." Published in 1971, at a time when Earth Day and the ecology movement were gaining counterculture traction, "The Lorax" addressed then-unconventional issues such as deforestation, pollution and greed. It was "An Inconvenient Truth" for children.

In China, competitive math teams are groomed and cosseted like college football squads. And in Vietnam, a television show called "Go to Olympia" tracks math contestants almost as if they were budding American Idols. So it came as little surprise that when Pasadena City College's math team won a national contest this year, six of the members were Chinese-born. The seventh arrived from Vietnam two years ago.

With a wheeze and a clank, with a whir and a click and a screech of some sprockets and pulleys and belts, with a great belch of blue smoke and a blinding flash of light, the rocket ship takes off. That's how it generally happens in science-fiction movies, anyway. Your basic, garden-variety rocket ship is a noisy showoff that leaves no doubt about its intention to trample the laws of space and time into mealy mush. But there's an easier way. Flying faster than the speed of light is simple.

The job seems like it should have been a cakewalk for three of America's most gifted comedians: a couple of weeks in a recording booth voicing laughable yet lovable characters for a big-budget, computer-generated animation adaptation of the beloved children's book "Horton Hears a Who!" So it was reasonable for Jim Carrey, Carol Burnett and Steve Carell to expect the project to be one of those windfall gigs that accompany a certain strata of Hollywood stardom: fat paychecks and critical props from every kid in the world for what is essentially a performance they could give wearing sweatpants and no makeup.

A group performed a yoga sunrise salutation to kick off the program at Fullerton College. UCLA marked the day with panel discussions and art displays. Caltech students used food to make their point, while Loyola Marymount University students dumped plastic bottles onto the lawn outside the library. And at Santa Monica College, along with speeches from politicians, students invoked Dr. Seuss to teach kindergartners about protecting the environment.