My Top 5 Books by Dr Seuss
Hey guys from Planet-M, this week I’ve decided to talk about the works of Dr Theodore Seuss Geisel, the man who wrote many memorable books such as The Grinch, Horton Hears a Who and If I Ran a Zoo (where in which he coined the word “Nerds”).
So today I’ve decided to put together a Top 5 list on my favourite books by Dr Seuss, I won’t be giving too much based on the plot of these books as I hope you one day read them yourself. Just a reminder, these lists are based on my own opinion.
5: The Sneetches
Why: To start this off we have the Sneetches, a story of creatures that are born with stars on their bellies and some who are born without. This was a story that I started reading in college for research and as I read it was able to see that this story was a satire of discrimination as the star bellied Sneetches discriminate against those without and even shun them away from activities.
Seuss was subtle with his message and throughout the entire book not a word was wasted, by the end of the book the Sneeches learn that neither those with or without stars are superior and are able to be friends, this book teaches a good lesson, that all are equal and it is truly one of Seuss’s best work.
4: The Cat in the Hat
Why: The story is (of course) about the Cat in the Hat who comes to the house of a young girl named Sally and her unnamed brother; through many funny and irresponsible antics they learn to play responsibly as the Cat is representation of how not to play around the house.
The Cat and the Hat is a whimsical story as not only did it put a stop to the rise of Dick and Jane novels that would pander to their audience, but it also showed the level of skill in Seuss’s own writing as he would simply talk to children and trust them to see the message.
3: The Butter Battle Book
Why: The Butter Battle Book was another of Seuss’s works that I had read in College, the content of this book is imaginative and shows once again that Seuss can mask his message as it was not till the end that I realised that this was an allegory for the Nuclear Arms Race. The story centres on two opposing sides, the Yooks and the Zooks and their stalemate by the end as they get their hands on the most dangerous weapon, the Bitsy Big Boy Boomeroo.
Now many of the Seuss’s books had a political theme as Seuss liked to write about important issues like Horton Hears a Who! being about anti-isolationism and internationalism. I like the fact that Seuss expressed the issues of his time through his work especially in Butter Battle Book. By the end of the book it made me understand the concerns of people during the Cold War with the threat of a nuclear war over their heads. I also saw the book as satirical as the war between the Yooks and Zooks was depicted being based on a senseless conflict over something as trivial as the way toast is buttered.
2: Green Eggs and Ham
Why: Green Eggs and Ham is a simple story that follows character “Sam-I-Am” as he pesters an unnamed character to try Green Eggs and Ham, the story has a rhythm to it and also teaches a respectable lesson about trying food in even though your not sure about it, I mean how can you hate something when you've never really tried it. Frankly my liking of this book is mostly based on how impressive I think it is as Seuss was able to make a book by using only 50 different words, apparently it was because of a bet the Seuss made with his publisher Bennett Cerf where in Cerf thought he couldn’t write a book with only 50 different words, Seuss proved him wrong, but Cerf never paid up on the bet.
1: The Lorax
Why: And here is the No. 1, The Lorax. Now the story of the Lorax takes place in a smog filled desolate forest with a green faceless figure known as the Once-Ler telling a young boy the story of how he came to the forest when it was green and vibrant. Telling the story of how he chopped down a tree to create a product known as a thneed, but in doing so he summoned The Lorax who speaks for the trees.
The Lorax is a story with an environmental message and told from a unique perspective, The Once-Ler is “the man who ruined everything” so it lends more weight to his story then from the perspective of someone who was only around when the worst happened. The book allows you to see the end result of what one man’s corporate greed can lead to and the ending allows the book to end on a powerful, but subtly ambiguous note, leaving the fate of the environment and therefore the world to the boy listing to the Once-Ler’s tale and to those reading the book in hopes that a better world will become reality, that is why The Lorax is my favourite of the Dr Seuss books.
In the end Dr Seuss gave us many incredible and whimsical moments through the written word and the way his books were constructed really made me think as kid as, in fact the first Dr Seuss book I read was The Lorax. Well that’s it for this week if you have any ideas for blogs please write them in the comments down below and with that Thank You for Reading.
