by professorpan » Wed Jul 27, 2005 1:03 pm
Thanks, Jeff, for bringing up Seuss, one of my heroes.<br><br>My list of fave Seuss books:<br><br>The Lorax, by far the best ecological fable. I formed an environmental group in the late 80s, when "saving the Earth" really caught fire with the mainstream (before it was extinguished by the "War on Terror"), and the main mission was to read The Lorax in public, as often as possible. I used to read the book at fairs, schools, and expos, and watching the faces of young kids click -- and they really did click to the message -- was immensely rewarding. I also read it for groups of adults, with great success. There is a depth to the symbolism an language of that book that is unequalled in more didactic, "adult" books about ecology and environmentalism. In fact, if I had a "bible" that I lived by, the Lorax would probably suffice.<br><br>The Butter Battle Book, a superb antiwar fable with a lot of contemporary resonance.<br><br>Yertle the Turtle, as you've suggested.<br><br>And Sneeches and Other Stories -- also a brilliant analysis of "otherness" and a critique of racism and all other prejudices.<br><br>Here's an excellent article: "The Secret Alchemy of Dr. Seuss."<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/forseus.html">www.endicott-studio.com/r...rseus.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>"I am the Lorax, and I speak for the Trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues."<br><br> <p></p><i></i>