The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

The Lorax is about how a person (the Once-ler) destroyed the Truffula Trees by over harvesting them. It all stemmed from greed. The Once-ler ignored the Lorax’s warnings about chopping down the trees for the Once-ler wasn’t only destroying the Truffula Trees; he was destroying the Brown Bar-ba-loots food supply. The pollution from the Once-ler’s factory was hurting the Swomee-Swans because of the smog in the air and the humming-fish because of the goo in the pond. This went on until all the Truffula Trees were gone. When the trees were gone, the factory closed. Dr. Seuss’ and the Lorax’s message was that people will continue to destroy our environments UNLESS someone cares an awful lot, enough to make a difference and stop the destruction.

The Lorax has become a lesson in conservation. This is because the story is about using a resource until there is nothing left. This book is typical Dr. Seuss with its made up words, rhyming, and sing-song lyrical flow. However, whether or not Dr. Seuss intended for The Lorax to become a plea to conserve our resources, which is exactly what happened. This book is one of the most popular when teaching our students about conservation and protecting our environments. This book is a didactic book because it teaches a lesson in conservation. It teaches that some resources will not replenish themselves once they are destroyed, so people have to take care of them. Some children’s books that teach conservation include Go Green with Me by Rececca Mattano and Kristen Collier, Two Islands by Ivan Gantschev, Mother Earth by Nancy Luenn, Old Turtle by Douglas Wood, and Wump World by Bill Peet.

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

The Cat in the Hat is about two children at home alone on a rainy day and they did not like it. Then a giant cat showed up who knew some good games, but everything the cat did turned into a mess. The cat brought in Thing 1 and Thing 2 to play more games, but the too made a mess of the house. It wasn’t until the fish saw the mom walking toward the house that things got straightened-up, which the cat also took care of.

The Cat in the Hat is a wonderful beginner book. It was the product of a challenge in which to use as many sight words as possible and to make the illustrations seem like a child’s imagination. In this story Dr. Seuss used 223 words from a list of 400 that his publisher provided for him. These words were sight words young readers were learning in school. Dr. Seuss stepped up to the challenge by creating a story with a whimsical tone while using childlike imaginative illustrations. This book still appeals to children because of its simplicity and parent influence. Since a lot of parents started their reading ability with The Cat in the Hat, they like to share this experience with their children. Also, the recent movie did not hurt either.

Many of Seuss’ beginner books illustrates the same tension as in The Cat in the Hat such as A Fly Went By and Ten Apples Up On Top. However, a contemporary book that has the tension similar to Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat would be No, I Want Daddy! by Nadine Brun-Cosme. In this book a family is out-of-balance because of over-tired parents and the way a child deals with it. Some books that teach right from wrong like The Cat in the Hat book includes If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If you give… series) by Laua Joffe Numeroff, Corduroy by Don Freeman, The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper, The Little Red Caboose by Marian Potter, Bambi by Felix Salten, and No, David! by David Shannon.