The Cat in the Hat, Lorax, and other issues

I love the Dr. Seuss books! They have such a funny language uniquely their own; children love the language too. The books really help with phonics and decoding because of the nonsense words. I also love the lessons that they teach. While many of his books are left to interpretation, most readers come away from the books gaining some insight.
Childhood according to Dr. Seuss, is a “perpetual zig-zag between good sense and nonsense, between the anarchy of The Cat in the Hat and the selfless stoicism of Horton (who hatched an egg).”
a. Is there a contemporary book that has this tension presented in The Cat in the Hat?

The Cat in the Hat is so cute, and teaches children the lesson about how too much of a good thing is not always good. We all need routines, rules, and “normalcy” in our lives. This book is especially good to read to young students because this can lead into a discussion about why we have classroom rules, community laws, etc. I honestly can’t think of a book that has the “tension” present. I just think that this is a silly book for kids to enjoy; sometimes, Dr. Seuss can be overanalyzed and I think this may be the case.

b. Does this book still appeal to children and why?

This book appeals to children because of the nonsense and silliness. The book is fun to read and the language is fun to try to pronounce and make sense.

Dr. Seuss considered The Lorax, published in 1971, as his best book. It did not go over well at the time and is still controversial.

a. What makes The Lorax didactic?

I definitely feel The Lorax it is didactic in the fact that it teaches that greed and wastefulness can lead to the destruction of Earth. This book makes children think about and discuss pollution and harm that is done to our animal populations too, and leads to discussions about animal extinction.
b. Are there any didactic children’s books today? If not, why not?

There are didactic books today. The Patricia Polacco books discuss issues too, and can be explored further. One example is Thank you, Mr. Falker; this book is an autobiographical account of Polacco's battle with dyslexia. This book deals with bullying and teasing issues, and shows kids how words can hurt others. Another book by Polacco, title Thunder Cake teaches readers that it is okay to have fears, but that they can be overcome. A lot of the books listed on my blog could be considered didactic in that any reader can often make a personal connection to a book and how it relates to his or her life. Readers often also search for a message or a moral to the story. No, David by David Shannon teaches readers a lesson that despite their shortcomings, their parents will continue to love them. Another great book, I can’t remember the title or the author for anything (as soon as I find it, I will post it) is a book I read a couple months ago about an African American elderly man who could not read, but wanted to. A little boy helped him to read; it was such a sweet story and gave a powerful message to children.

Yoshiko Uchida Book: The Wise Old Woman: Retold by Yoskiko

Citation: , Y. (1994). The wise old woman: Retold by Yoshiko. New York: Margaret K. McElderry.

Questions:

1. What did you like or dislike about the book?
I liked the book because of the unique illustrations. I also liked the message the book gives: elders should be respected and honored.

2. What in your life may have influenced your reaction or response to this book?
I liked the book because I believe that older people should be respected. Many children now are not taught to respect anyone, especially other adults. This book conveys that message.

3. How would you compare this book to another book or books, or book or books by same author?

Some examples of other books by this author include the following:

· Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese American Family
· Journey To Topaz: A Story Of The Japanese American Evacuation
· Picture Bride: A Novel
· A Jar of Dreams
· The Bracelet
· Journey Home
· The Invisible Thread: An Autobiography
· The Best Bad Thing
· Sea of Gold
· The Happiest Ending
· Samurai of Gold Hill
· Two Foolish Cats

4. What new thing (information or insight) did you learn about children's literature in reading this book?

This book was able to address a subject that often many books do not: respect your elders. The story also gives insight into the Japanese American culture that many children may not know much about.

Laurence Yep Book: The Dragon's Child: A Story of Angel Island

Citation: Yep, L. (2008). The dragon's child: A story of Angel Island. New York: HarperCollins.

Questions:

1. What did you like or dislike about the book?
I liked the book because it showed the insecurities of the character; many readers could relate to this. I also liked the historical perspective of the book; furthermore, I enjoyed the family photos, the historical notes, and the bibliography included with the book.

2. What in your life may have influenced your reaction or response to this book?
I love history and I have never read any stories Chinese American experience in coming to America.

3. How would you compare this book to another book or books, or book or books by same author?

This book is similar to Li Keng Wong's Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain. Some examples of other books by this author include the following:

· Dragonwings
· Dragon’s Gate
· The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906
· Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of South
· Hiroshima
· Dragon of the Lost Sea

4. What new thing (information or insight) did you learn about children's literature in reading this book?

This book was able to accurately portray the situations that people faced when coming to America. This book showed insight into a culture’s experience in coming to America that I have never read about before.

Jerry Pinkney Book: John Henry

Citation: Lester, J. & Pinkney, J. (1994). John Henry. New York: Dial.

Questions:
1. What did you like or dislike about the book?
I liked the book because of the beautiful illustrations by Pinkney; I have also always liked epics and tall tales; children love reading them as well.

2. What in your life may have influenced your reaction or response to this book?
Nothing in my life has really influenced my reaction to the book; it was just a good read.

3. How would you compare this book to another book or books, or book or books by same author?
This book is similar to Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyun, Mike Fink, and other tall tales. Other books by this illustrator include the following:

Roll of Thunder
Hear My Cry
The Ugly Duckling
Riki-Tikki-Tavi
Song of the Trees
Little Red Riding Hood
The Talking Eggs
Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brier Rabbit
Goin' Someplace Special
The Moon Over Star
The Patchwork Quilt
The Little Match Girl
The Little Red Hen
Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir
Aesop's Fables
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman
Pretend You're a Cat
Sam and the Tigers: A Retelling of 'Little Black Sambo'
Noah's Ark
The Jungle Book
The Adventures of Spider: West African Folktales
Happy Birthday Martin Luther King

There are many more.

4. What new thing (information or insight) did you learn about children's literature in reading this book?
This book did not really offer any insight; it would be a good book to read when studying tall tales.

Children's Book in a Film: Because of Winn-Dixie

Citation: DiCamillo, K. (2004). Because of Winn-Dixie. New York: Candlewick.

Questions:

1. What did you like or dislike about the book?
I liked the book because this story shows a character learning about herself through a dog. Through Winn-Dixie, Opal also learns about other people in her community and realizes that she is not alone. The dog and her new friends help her to cope with the loss of her mother; this book is a book that readers could connect with, whether through losing a parent, having a dog, or meeting unusual people.

2. What in your life may have influenced your reaction or response to this book?
Something in my life that may have influenced my reaction is that I have had pets in the past that were very important to me. The story also shows that an unlikely person or animal can unite many people.

3. How would you compare this book to another book or books, or book or books by same author?

Right now, I can’t think of any books that are similar to this. :D Books by the author include The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Tiger Rising, and The Magician's Elephant.

4. What new thing (information or insight) did you learn about children's literature in reading this book?

This book was able to show how unlikely events bring people together. The book also gave the insight that despite hard times and thinking you won’t get through something, in time, you will. Opal was able to do this “because of Winn-Dixie.”

Comparison to the movie:

This book was very similar to the movie. I don’t think that there were many differences between the book and the movie. The characters are basically the same, as well as the events in the movie and the book.

Children's Book in a Film: Zathura

Citation: Allsburg, C. V. (2002). Zathura. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Questions:

1. What did you like or dislike about the book?
I liked the book because I know that children would enjoy reading about actually being in a board game. The story is full of action and adventure, so this book would appeal to boys; boys are very hard to motivate to read fiction books, so this could perhaps get boys reading fiction.

2. What in your life may have influenced your reaction or response to this book?
Something in my life that may have influenced my reaction is the fact that when my little brother was younger, he liked the book and the movie and he didn’t care much for reading. He also liked Jumanji. These books and movies appeal to boys.

3. How would you compare this book to another book or books, or book or books by same author?

This book is very similar to Allsburg’s other book, Jumanji. Other books by this author are The Stranger, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Polar Express, and The Widow's Broom.

4. What new thing (information or insight) did you learn about children's literature in reading this book?

This book was just a fun book to read. I don’t think I gained any valuable insight; I just enjoyed the book and so would young readers.

Comparison to the movie:

This book was very similar to the movie. The differences were subtle, but since the movie had to be made longer than the story, there were small differences. However, the characters had the same names; other similarities include the characters experiencing low gravity, a defective robot, and invading Zorgon aliens.

Coretta Scott King Award Winner: Elijah of Buxton

Citation: Curtis, C. P. (2009). Elijah of Buxton. New York: Scholastic Paperbacks.

Questions:

1. What did you like or dislike about the book?
I liked the book because it Elijah is accident-prone, makes mistakes, and “fragile,” so I can relate to the character. This book also realistically portrays slavery to young readers through a child's first-person perspective. Readers learn about conditions in slavery at a distance, though the horrors become increasingly apparent. Essential to the story, some of the scenes show a variety of emotionas and a subtlety unusual in children's fiction.

2. What in your life may have influenced your reaction or response to this book?
Something in my life that may have influenced my reaction is the fact that despite all the differences that the character and I may have, I was still able to make connections with the character; other readers probably would be able to, as well.

3. How would you compare this book to another book or books, or book or books by same author?

This book reminded me of Feathers, in that it was insightful book involving African American perspectives. Other books by Curtis include Bud, not Buddy, Mr. Chickee's Funny Money, and Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission.

4. What new thing (information or insight) did you learn about children's literature in reading this book?

This book was able to accurately portray the horrors of slavery to young readers. This takes a talented author to be able to do this; this book distinguishes itself among other books that claim to portray slavery.