Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The Lorax...random thoughts

Dr. Seuss will forever be near and dear to many a heart. Mine is definitely included. Talent like his boggles my mind. Truly. I can't imagine a time when his books won't be favorites of children and adults alike.

There's his trademark rhyming and his nonsensical words that make perfect sense. His books are an absolute delight to read aloud. I can't imagine ever tiring of twisting my tongue with Fox in Socks. His illustrations and fantastical creatures. All of it adds up to pure joy.

But beyond all that, Dr. Seuss had meaningful messages to pass along. Messages as relevant today, if not more so, as they were when he wrote them. Gertrude McFuzz can teach us about the dangers of vanity. The Sneetches about the idiocy of bigotry. The Zax about the importance of compromise.

And my very favorite book of all, The Lorax, tells a tale of greed and the environment. Long before it was fashionable, Dr. Seuss was explaining to children the importance of each living species to those around it. The interconnectedness of life. The catastrophic consequences of not taking care of the world we live in.

This is one of those books that we read with the kids on a regular basis. This is a book I'll continue to read once the kids are grown and gone.

Many thanks to Becky for hosting the Celebrate the Author Reading Challenge. When it came to choosing authors for each month, March was definitely the easiest one of all for me! Believe it or not, this is also for the Banned Books Challenge...can you believe that?!! It was challenged in Laytonville, CA, because it "criminalizes the foresting industry".

5 comments:

Becky said...

I chose Dr. Seuss as well this month. I didn't really grow up reading The Lorax. But it's one I've since come to appreciate. I also like the Butter Battle Book. But my *favorite* will probably always be The Sneetches and Other Stories. I love The Sneetches. I love the Zaks. I love Too Many Daves. And I love, love, love, love What Was I Scared Of.

Stephanie said...

I love Dr. Seuss!! I think Horton is probably my favorite though!

Anonymous said...

i really love dr. seuss too - although, your post has reminded me that it has been YEARS since i've actually looked at a dr. seuss book.

i totally agree. he's incredibly talented.

my wife has a particular fondness for him and he has been a big influence on her poetry (which i have yet to blog about).

for me, personally, its the nonsense that does it. i think a little nonsense can go a long way. theres so much seriousness that we need some nonsense to balance it out! :)

Ana S. said...

Can you believe I have never read any Dr. Seuss? Shame on me, I know.

Kim L said...

Ah a great classic. I admire Dr. Seuss for his amazing ability to write stories that meant something... without ever sounding preachy. This book is a great example! My absolute favorite though is Horton Hears a Who, about standing up for people who can't be heard.