Hop on Pop

I remember being a young child and seeing the title and cover illustration of Dr. Seuss’s book “Hop on Pop” for the first time... 

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I was overwhelmed with confusion--I couldn’t imagine anyone jumping up and down on their ‘Pop!’

I have lovely parents. My dad played board games with me and swam with me, but we never ‘rough and tumbled.’ There was no wrestling on the floor or ‘hopping on pop’ so to speak. So in my young mind, ‘hopping on pop’ meant one used their father as a trampoline by just jumping up and down on his belly as the book cover illustrates.

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I can remember my first thoughts and feelings while gazing at the cover thinking, “OUCH! Why would anyone do that? Who on Earth would write a book for children with such a horrible idea?”

It has taken me quite some time and the parenting of 3 children to come to appreciate Dr. Seuss’s title for a book that I loved to read despite my distaste for the ‘hop on pop’ part.

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My kids hop on their pop all the time!