Seuss Classics

Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat is perhaps one of the most famous children's books. Never mind that it's highly unlikely for two small children to be left alone all day in the real world, and that if they were, it would be very dangerous for them to let strange visitors in the house; we suspend our disbelief and join in the fun. Hopefully, teachers and parents who share this book with kids will take a moment to discuss stranger safety issues when reading this book.
To this day, I most closely identify with the character of the fish, and I'm sure that brands me as an incurable party pooper. It was always easy for me to imagine the kind of anxiety the fish felt when the two kids were allowing things that were clearly against the rules and possibly hazardous, while he was stuck in the bowl, powerless. Fortunately the characters, all's well that ends well.
I can't think of any modern book that truly replicates this kind of scenario. I was reminded of Eileen Christelow's Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, because throughout the book, the monkeys are cavorting around while their mom and the doctor make periodic admonishments, but then at the end of the book, the mom is shown jumping on the bed, which pretty much negates all the warnings.
Kids still love The Cat in the Hat, and probably always will, for several reasons. First, it is easy to read, and is often one of the first books kids can read independently (although in my opinion, Green Eggs and Ham is even better). Second, the book is full of zany fun. Third, the illustrations, in typical Seuss style, are simple, yet silly, which is very appealing. Last, but certainly not least, kids love the fact that these two kids have put one over on their mom. Three strange visitors came, the house got trashed, everything was put right in the nick of time, and mom will never know--what could be more delicious than that?

The Lorax is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. The book is environmentally oriented, and it discourages cutting down trees. Certainly, people in the logging industry weren't thrilled with the book, and any time there is a potential effect on people's income, controversy can be expected. The Lorax is considered didactic because it blatantly urges children to protect trees. Those of us who are passionate about environmental issues feel that it's crucial to target children, not only because it's easier for them to form green habits at an early age, but also because they are future voters and policy makers. Consequently, there have been many books with this theme over the last few decades.The first two that popped into my mind were both published in 1990. Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton Mifflin) is the story of a boy who scoffs at green living but changes his mind after having a dream of what the future will be like if people don't change their ways. The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich)tells of a man sent to chop down a tree in the rain forest but dozes off and dreams of different forest animals speaking to him about what will happen if he cuts down the trees. When he wakes up, he drops his ax and walks away. A more recent eco-fiction title is The Three Fishing Brothers Gruff by Ben Galbraith (Hodder & Stoughton, 2006) in which the characters learn about the effects of overfishing.