Review - McElligot's Pool

McElligot's Pool
by Dr. Seuss
Date: 1947
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 64
Format: e-book
Source: library

Imagination runs wild in this Caldecott Honor–winning tale featuring Dr. Seuss’s inimitable voice and hysterical illustrations. The first Seuss title to feature full-color art on every other page, this adventurous picture book tells of Marco—who first imagined an extraordinary parade in And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street — as he daydreams of all the possibilities that await him while he fishes in McElligot’s Pool. Optimistic and exciting, this tale is the perfect bait, and readers young and old will be hooked on this fish-tastic favorite.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

It's fun reading some of these oldies. McElligot's Pool is even older than my parents! It's one of the first Dr. Seuss books I've seen that uses full-colour illustrations along with black-and-white ones.

This book is first and foremost a celebration of imagination. When Marco is told that he won't catch any fish in McElligot's Pool, he spins a wild tale about how the pool might be connected to a river or even the ocean, and from there he muses about all the various fish he might catch: everything from fish with checkerboard bellies to two-headed eels.

While it was interesting to see what Marco would come up with next, I found the book just a little too long for my taste. It's also slightly dated with the stereotypical depiction of Inuit, going so far as to use the term "Eskimo". But it was 1947, and it's unfair to judge books from the past against our current standards. (Look at it as a mini history lesson instead.)

This isn't my favourite Dr. Seuss title. It's okay, but the length is a little tiresome. (Picture books from this era seem to be about twice the length of our current standard of around 32 pages. Parents: you've been warned.)

Premise: 3/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.29 out of 5

Review - Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
by Dr. Seuss
Date: 1958
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 96
Format: e-book
Source: library

Dr. Seuss presents three modern fables in the rhyming favorite Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. The collection features tales about greed (“Yertle the Turtle”), vanity (“Gertrude McFuzz”), and pride (“The Big Brag”). In no other book does a small burp have such political importance! Yet again, Dr. Seuss proves that he and classic picture books go hand in hand.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I must've missed this one in my childhood, because I don't remember it at all. I enjoyed it quite a bit, though, even as an adult.

Even though this book was published decades ago, the themes within the three stories it contains are still fresh and valid. In fact, I think certain politicians should read them (not that it would make much difference; they're as oblivious to their own faults as the rabbit and the bear in "The Big Brag").

The book is almost 100 pages, but it doesn't feel like it. Each of the stories could be a great bedtime read. The rhyming text would be great fun read aloud.

Overall, this is a pretty strong trio of stories from Dr. Seuss. For those looking for tales about greed, vanity, and pride, these are some good contenders.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Review - The Lorax

The Lorax
by Dr. Seuss
Date: 1971
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 72
Format: e-book
Source: library

Long before "going green" was mainstream, Dr. Seuss's Lorax spoke for the trees and warned of the dangers of disrespecting the environment. In this cautionary rhyming tale, we learn of the Once-ler, who came across a valley of Truffula Trees and Brown Bar-ba-loots ("frisking about in their Bar-ba-loot suits as they played in the shade and ate Truffula Fruits"), and how his harvesting of the tufted trees changed the landscape forever. With the release of the blockbuster film version, the Lorax and his classic tale have educated a new generation of young readers not only about the importance of seeing the beauty in the world around us, but also about our responsibility to protect it.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I didn't think I'd read this one, but as I turned the pages, the memories started to come back to me. It was the Brown Bar-ba-loots that stuck in my head for some reason...

In any case, this is a rather modern-sounding tale about conservation. It's just as appropriate for today's audiences as it would have been when it was first published. The Lorax contains a story within a story told by a mysterious character called the Once-ler, who tells of a time when Truffula Trees grew plentiful, supplying the Brown Bar-ba-loots with shade and food. But the Once-ler figures out that he can knit with the tufts of the Truffula Trees, and this spells the end of the natural paradise. A creature called the Lorax, who speaks for the trees, warns the Once-ler that he's doing harm... but the Once-ler cares only about money.

I found the writing in this a bit iffy, and the meter isn't as strong as it is in some of Dr. Seuss's other books. Still, the message is important enough that I'm willing to overlook some of these issues.

The story ends with a bit of hope, but the depiction of what happens from unchecked industry and greed is bleak. It's definitely a timely tale, and one that is perfectly appropriate--necessary, even--for today's kids.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.71 out of 5

Review - How the Grinch Stole Christmas

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
by Dr. Seuss
Date: 1957
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 64
Format: e-book
Source: library

"The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason."

Dr. Seuss's small-hearted Grinch ranks right up there with Scrooge when it comes to the crankiest, scowling holiday grumps of all time. For 53 years, the Grinch has lived in a cave on the side of a mountain, looming above the Whos in Whoville. The noisy holiday preparations and infernal singing of the happy little citizens below annoy him to no end. The Grinch decides this frivolous merriment must stop. His "wonderful, awful" idea is to don a Santa outfit, strap heavy antlers on his poor, quivering dog Max, construct a makeshift sleigh, head down to Whoville, and strip the chafingly cheerful Whos of their Yuletide glee once and for all.

Looking quite out of place and very disturbing in his makeshift Santa get-up, the Grinch slithers down chimneys with empty bags and stealing the Whos' presents, their food, even the logs from their humble Who-fires. He takes the ramshackle sleigh to Mt. Crumpit to dump it and waits to hear the sobs of the Whos when they wake up and discover the trappings of Christmas have disappeared. Imagine the Whos' dismay when they discover the evil-doings of Grinch in his anti-Santa guise. But what is that sound? It's not sobbing, but singing! Children simultaneously adore and fear this triumphant, twisted Seussian testimonial to the undaunted cheerfulness of the Whos, the transcendent nature of joy, and of course, the growth potential of a heart that's two sizes too small.

This holiday classic is perfect for reading aloud to your favorite little Whos.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

When a book is this old and this popular, many people are bound to have memories tied to it. For me, this book takes me back to high school. It was a tradition while I was there that one of the English teachers--an elderly gentleman with an actual English accent--would read this book at an assembly just before the start of Christmas break. To this day, I still think it's one of the neatest things ever: imagine hundreds of jaded teenagers sitting there, absolutely silent and rapt, listening to a teacher read a children's picture book. Nobody was "too cool" to listen and nobody made fun of anyone else for enjoying it.

I hadn't actually read the book myself (not that I could remember, anyway), so I figured I should give it a try. I couldn't get it last year before Christmas, so I waited. I'm glad I finally got a chance to read it for myself.

What can you really say about this one? It's a classic, with a message that's more timely than ever before. The illustrations are kind of goofy, and Dr. Seuss has an annoying habit of making characters grin their speech (et tu, Dr. Seuss?), but I can forgive those things because the book has so much else going for it: fun characters, a strong message, and the wonderful rhyming text that just begs to be read aloud.

I can definitely see why this book has stood the test of time. Kids might be more familiar with the animated special or the movies... but I would also recommend going straight to the source and introducing them to the book. It's a wonderful Christmas story that will probably be enjoyed for generations to come.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Review - Hop on Pop

Hop on Pop
by Dr. Seuss
Date: 1963
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 72
Format: e-book
Source: library

Loved by generations, this “simplest Seuss for youngest use” is a Beginner Book classic. See Red and Ned and Ted and Ed in a bed. And giggle as Pat sits on a hat and on a cat and on a bat . . . but a cactus? Pat must NOT sit on that! This classic Beginner Book makes an ideal gift for Seuss fans and is an especially good way to show Pop some love on Father’s Day!

Originally created by Dr. Seuss, Beginner Books encourage children to read all by themselves, with simple words and illustrations that give clues to their meaning.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

It's books like this that make me glad I don't have children that I'd have to read them to! Hop on Pop is the mental equivalent of listening to fingernails scratch across a blackboard... in a bouncy rhythm.

I guess this book is meant to teach kids how to read simple words. But the way it's laid out is a bit confusing at times, and I suspect that those with dyslexia might have a hard time with it. I'm also not a fan of the simplified--but grammatically incorrect--sentences that are peppered throughout. If we're trying to teach kids language, this isn't the way to go about it.

Like many picture books from this era, this is also way too long. My mom has mentioned to me that she always dreaded reading books like Are You My Mother? to us because they just went on and on. For whatever reason, books from the 1960s and 1970s are about twice the length of today's average picture book. Perhaps they hadn't yet figured out that kids often have a fairly short attention span.

Dr. Seuss books can be fun, but I think I prefer the ones that have an actual story. There's no story here. It's just a bunch of words and illustrations.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: 3/5
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 2.14 out of 5

Review - Horton Hears a Who!

Horton Hears a Who!
by Dr. Seuss
Date: 1954
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 72
Format: e-book
Source: library

Horton, the lovable elephant, tries to protect tiny creatures on a speck of dust. An easy reader with delightful verse and pictures.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

When I'm reading some of these older picture books, I'm struck by how long they are. Have children's attention spans really changed that much in the last half century?

I can't recall ever reading this one or having it read to me (although that doesn't mean it didn't happen). What I do remember about this one is hearing about pro-life groups co-opting the message because of the phrase, "A person's a person, no matter how small." Now, I can see why they might've twisted that around to fit their agenda, but if you read the whole book, the message was obviously intended to be about something else: equality.

This was apparently written after World War II after Dr. Seuss went to Japan and talked to schoolchildren about their aspirations. After drawing plenty of anti-Japanese cartoons during the war, this book may have been partly to atone for those racist drawings.

The message is a good one. Horton hears voices coming from a speck of dust, and realizes that there are people--a whole town, in fact--living on it. So he puts it on a clover and carries the flower around with him to protect it. But the other animals, led by a snotty kangaroo, don't believe there's anything on the flower and want to take it away, destroy it, and imprison Horton because he believes there's something on the speck of dust. Even if Horton were simply hearing things, he wasn't hurting anyone, so there was no need to treat him the way the other animals did. (But that's probably the point.)

The rhythm in this one is pretty good, making it a good candidate for read-aloud sessions. I was not impressed by Horton frowning his speech at one point (I thought that bit of annoying writing was a more recent trend; I guess not). But, overall, the text is pretty strong and delivers a great message about standing up for the little guy, even if it's an unpopular stance to take.

Quotable moment:

Then Horton stopped walking.
The speck-voice was talking!
The voice was so faint he could just barely hear it.
"Speak up, please," said Horton. He put his ear near it.
"My friend," came the voice, "you're a very fine friend.
You've helped all us folks on this dust speck no end.
You've saved all our houses, our ceilings and floors.
You've saved all our churches and grocery stores."

 
Premise: 4/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.71 out of 5