Cutting “Leuss” With Dr. Seuss
Grades:
4th Grade – 12th Grade
Time Frame:
One to two class sessions of 45 - 60 minutes
Materials Needed:
Horton Hears a Who
The Butter Battle Book
The Cat In The Hat
The Lorax
The Sneetches
Yertle the Turtle
Blank paper, card stock, poster board, or tag board
Markers (preferably washable markers)
Objective: The student will examine a scenario using a story by Dr. Seuss to identify the problem,
brainstorm with other students possible solutions to fix the problem, select a best solution as a policy, and
develop an action plan.
Introduction:
Students should already realize that the literature they read in school conveys themes and lessons
that apply to various life situations and experiences. It may surprise them; however, that young
children's stories also impart important themes and lessons. The Dr. Seuss books are particularly
good examples of this. In this lesson, students will discover some of the themes of Dr. Seuss's
major books. By reading one Seuss story, they will see how, despite being written for young
children, Dr. Seuss' books contain powerful messages about important themes in American history and society.
(by Betsy Hedberg)
Into the Lesson:
1. Divide the students into five (5) equally sized groups. If your
class is larger than 20 students, use multiple copies of the
stories.
2. Assign each group a story to read out loud within their group.
3. Provide each group with a piece of blank paper or tag board
and markers.
4. When finished with reading the story, each group should fold
their blank paper or tag board into four columns (two “hot dog
folds”). The columns should have the following titles (left to
right): “Problem(s),” “Possible Solutions,” “Best Solution,”
and “Action Plan.” See the illustration below. Alternate
column headings: Problem(s), Alternative Solutions, Policy,
and Action Plan.
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
1
PROBLEM(S) SOLUTIONS
A.
B.
C.
D.
BEST
SOLUTION
ACTION
PLAN
In the first column the students will list the problem(s) that occurred in the book the group
read.
In the second column the group should list all the possible ways they can think of to solve
the problem.
In the third column the students should select the “best solution” out of their list in column
two and expand upon it. Groups may combine two or three solutions.
In the fourth column the students should design an action plan as to how they are going to
accomplish their solution implemented.
6. When all groups have completed their presentation board, have each group report to the entire
class. Each group should summarize the story they read, tell what they put in each
column, and how the story applies to real life (history content being studied, how
to use in class).
Assessment:
Compare your group’s story to a real problem today or at any time in history.
Write a statement outlining your reasons for comparing the Seuss story to this
event and giving supporting details.
Closure:
Name some situation, issue, or problem in today’s world that you would like to
use the 4Step Problem-Solving Process to try and improve.
Enrichment:
Utilize the Center for Civic Education’s Project Citizen Program with your class,
school, or district.
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
2
Priority Academic Student Skills
Social Studies
Grade 4
Standard 1:
3.
The student will develop and practice the process skills of social studies. 
Identify and give examples of different perspectives and points of view (e.g., in media, political
commercials, advertisements, and literature).
Grade 5
*Standard 1: The student will develop and demonstrate the process skills of social studies. 
*1.
Locate, gather, analyze, and apply information from primary and secondary sources using examples
of different perspectives and points of view.
Standard 7:
The student will review and strengthen geographic skills.
2.
Evaluate how the physical environment affects humans and how humans modify their physical
environment.
*5.
Compare and contrast how different cultures adapt to, modify, and have an impact on their physical
environment (e.g., the use of natural resources, farming techniques or other land use, recycling,
housing, clothing, and physical environmental constraints and hazards).
Grade 6
Standard 1:
The student will develop and practice the process skills of social studies.
1.
Locate, gather, and analyze information from primary and secondary sources, such as artifacts,
diaries, letters, art, music, literature, newspapers, and contemporary media. 
3.
Interpret information from a broad selection of research materials such as encyclopedias, almanacs,
dictionaries, atlases, and cartoons. 
Standard 4:
1.
Identify and describe major world political systems and the role of governmental involvement in
such systems (such as dictatorships, constitutional monarchies, and representative democracies).
Grade 7
Standard 5.
2.
The student will examine the interactions of humans and their environment.
Evaluate the effects of human modification of and adaptation to the natural environment (e.g., use of
the steel plow, crop rotation, types of housing, flood prevention, discovery of valuable mineral
deposits, the greenhouse effect, desertification, clear-cutting forests, air and water pollution, urban
sprawl, and use of pesticides and herbicides in agriculture).
Grade 8
Standard 1:
*1.
The student will compare and contrast political and economic systems.
The student will develop and practice process skills in social studies.
Develop and apply cause and effect reasoning and chronological thinking to past, present, and
potential future situations. 
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
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Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
3
6.
Make distinctions among propaganda, fact and opinion; evaluate cause and effect relationships; and
draw conclusions. 
*Standard 2: The student will develop skills in discussion, debate, and persuasive writing by analyzing
historical situations and events.
*1.
Read, write, and present a variety of products, such as tables, charts, graphs, maps, reports, letters,
computer presentations, checklists, resumes, brochures, pamphlets, and summaries. 
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
High School
Standard 1:
The student will demonstrate process skills in social studies.
1.
Identify, analyze, and interpret primary and secondary sources, such as artifacts, letters, photographs,
art, documents, newspapers, and contemporary media (e.g., television, motion pictures, and
computer-based technologies) that reflect events in United States government and politics. 
2.
Interpret economic and political issues as expressed in maps, tables, diagrams, charts, political
cartoons, and economic graphs. 
3.
Make distinctions among propaganda, fact and opinion; evaluate cause and effect relationships; and
draw conclusions in examining documentary sources. 
4.
Develop discussion, debate, and persuasive writing and speaking skills, focusing on enduring issues
(e.g., individual rights versus the common good, and problems of intolerance toward cultural, ethnic,
and religious groups). 
Standard 7:
The student will identify and explain the fundamental concepts of the system of
government of the United States.
1.
The equality of all citizens under the law
2.
Majority rule and minority rights
3.
The fundamental worth and dignity of the individual
Standard 1:
*2.
3.
*6.
The student will demonstrate process skills in social studies.
Recognize and explain how different points of view have been influenced by nationalism, racism,
religion, culture, and ethnicity. 
Distinguish between fact and opinion in examining documentary sources. 
Develop discussion, debate, and persuasive writing and speaking skills, focusing on enduring issues
(e.g., individual rights vs. the common good, and problems of intolerance toward cultural, ethnic,
and religious groups), and demonstrating how divergent viewpoints have been and continue to be
addressed and reconciled. 
Standard 3:
The student will analyze the impact of immigration and the Westward Movement on +*96
American society.
*2.
Examine ethnic conflict and discrimination.
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
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Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
4
3.
Investigate changes in the domestic policies of the United States relating to immigration.
4.
Compare and contrast the attitudes toward Native American groups as exhibited by federal Indian
policy (e.g., establishment of reservations, assimilation, and the Dawes Act) and actions of the
United States Army, missionaries, and settlers.
Standard 8:
*1.
5.
Relate the rise of totalitarian regimes in the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, and Japan to the rise of
communism, Nazism, and fascism in the 1930s and 1940s, and the response of the United States.
Analyze public and political reactions in the United States to the events of the Holocaust. 
Standard 9:
1.
The student will analyze the major causes, events, and effects of United States involvement
in World War II.
The student will assess the successes and shortcomings of United States foreign policy
since World War II.
Identify the origins of the Cold War, and its foreign and domestic consequences, including
confrontations with the Soviet Union in Berlin and Cuba.
Standard 10: The student will analyze the economic, social, and political transformation of the United
States since World War II.
1.
Describe de jure and de facto segregation policies, attempts at desegregation and integration, and the
impact of the Civil Rights Movement on society (e.g., Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka,
Kansas).
2.
Evaluate the success of the women's liberation movement and the changing roles of women in
society.
WORLD GEOGRAPHY
High School
Standard 4:
4.
The student will examine human cultures, populations, and activities such as settlement,
migration, commerce, conflict, and cooperation.
Explain how the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control
of earth's surface. 
WORLD HISTORY
High School
Standard 16: The student will analyze major twentieth century historical events through World War II.
3.
Examine the rise, aggression, and human costs of totalitarian regimes in the Soviet Union, Germany,
Italy, and Japan.
5.
Examine the rise of nationalism, and the causes and effects of World War II (e.g., the Holocaust,
economic and military power shifts since 1945, the founding of the United Nations, and the political
partitioning of Europe, Africa, and Asia).
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
5
Reading
LANGUAGE ARTS
Grade 6
Standard 3:
Comprehension/Critical Literacy - The student will interact with the words and concepts
in the text to construct an appropriate meaning.
Read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. Describe and connect the essential ideas, arguments, and
perspectives of the text by using the knowledge of text structure, organization, and purpose. At Grade 6, in
addition to regular classroom reading, students read a variety of grade-level-appropriate narrative (story) and
expository (informational and technical) texts, including classic and contemporary literature, poetry, magazines,
newspapers, reference materials, and online information.
1.
Literal Understanding
2.
Inferences and Interpretation
3.
Summary and Generalization
4.
Analysis and Evaluation
*5.
Monitoring and Correction Strategies
Standard 4:
Literature - The student will read, construct meaning, and respond to a wide variety of
literary forms. 
Read and respond to grade-level-appropriate historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect
and enhance a study of history and social science. Clarify ideas and connect them to other literary works.
1.
Literary Genres - The student will demonstrate a knowledge of and an appreciation for various forms
of literature.
2.
Literary Elements - The student will demonstrate knowledge of literary elements and techniques and
how they affect the development of a literary work.
3.
Figurative Language and Sound Devices - The student will identify figurative language and sound
devices and will analyze how they affect the development of a literary work.
*4.
Literary Works - The student will read and respond to historically and culturally significant works of
literature.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Grade 10
Standard 2:
Comprehension - The student will interact with the words and concepts on the page to
understand what the writer has said.
Read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. Analyze the organizational patterns and evaluate
authors’ argument and position. At Grade 10, in addition to regular classroom reading, read a wide variety of
classic and contemporary literature, poetry, magazines, newspapers, reference materials, and online
information.
State Superintendent’s
6
7 Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
th
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
1.
Literal Understanding
2.
Inferences and Interpretation
3.
Summary and Generalization
4.
Analysis and Evaluation
.
Standard 3:
Literature - The student will read, construct meaning, and respond to a wide variety of
literary forms.
Read and respond to grade-level-appropriate historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect
and enhance a study of history and social science. Conduct an in-depth analysis of the themes of these works.
1.
Literary Genres - Demonstrate a knowledge of and an appreciation for various forms of literature.
2.
Literary Elements - Demonstrate knowledge of literary elements and techniques and show how they
affect the development of a literary work.
3.
Figurative Language and Sound Devices - Identify and use figurative language and sound devices in
writing and recognize how they affect the development of a literary work.
4.
Literary Works - The student will read and respond to historically and culturally significant works of
literature.
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
7
Horton Hears A Who! Dr. Seuss Enterprises / Random House (September 1, 1954)
On the surface, Horton Hears A Who! (1954) is a whimsical story about a faithful elephant that saves a
civilization of tiny beings living on a speck of dust. For Dr. Seuss, the book was a return to the Japan theme
following America's seven-year occupation of the country, during a time when America was considering Japan's
future after World War II.
Seuss wrote Horton Hears A Who! after returning from a trip to Japan. Dedicated to a Japanese friend, Horton
shows that Seuss's views on Japanese/American relations had progressed considerably since his tenure at PM, a
decade earlier. The Des Moines Register called the book "a rhymed lesson in protection of minorities and their
rights."
That one small, extra Yopp put it over!
Finally, at last! From that speck on that clover
Their voices were heard! They rang out clear and clean.
And the elephant smiled. "Do you see what I mean?...
They've proved they ARE persons, no matter how small.
And their whole world was saved by the Smallest of All!"
--Horton Hears A Who!
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
8
Horton Hears a "Who!
The Elephant named Horton was sitting at a pond in the jungle one day when he heard a tiny voice in the wind.
He noticed a dust speck flying in the air, and saved the people whom he heard crying for help by placing their
home dust speck onto a clover, safe from the pond. Later, Horton learned that an entire town calls the dust
speck home, so he devoted his time to keeping it safe.
The other inhabitants of the jungle disagreed with Horton's notion and said that such a tiny town could and
should not exist. They constantly made life hard for Horton, and eventually took away the clover the dust speck
was on and caged Horton, threatening to boil the clover in "Beezle Nut Oil."
Only by having everyone in Who-ville (the name of the microscopic town) scream did Horton prove that the
city is even there. The city was not heard until a small boy screamed profusely to make Whoville's cry to the antagonists of the jungle heard.
Quite simply, the Whos of Who-ville represent Japanese cities after World War II. America
napalmed over 60 of Japan's largest cities, slaughtering 500,000 civilians. In Horton, a black
bird named "Vlad Vlad-i-koff" steals the clover which Who-ville stands upon and drops it from a
far height, destroying much of the town.
Dr. Seuss admitted he based the story on his experiences in Japan, and that Who-ville does, indeed,
stand for Japan. If Who-ville is Japan, then who does Horton represent? The United States. The
story is Dr. Seuss's approach on the Japanese populace after the bombing of Hiroshima: optimistic,
hardworking, but ignored by the world for atrocities done in World War II. Horton (the United States) is Seuss's
fictional America which he wished would offer assistance to the shattered people.
At the time of its publication, Horton was analyzed by a small number of insignificant literary experts who were
shocked to see the "evil Japanese" portrayed kindly despite all the atrocities they committed during World War
II. This demonstrates that the Japanese were not literally invisible in the world, but they did need to prove they
were willing to justify their existence by making amends for their military’s cruelty to the world in World War
II. Seuss, during his visit to Japan after World War II, noted that the people of Japan truly wished to rebuild
their country and were already attempting to start anew even before the war was over. The book itself is
dedicated to a Japanese woman Dr. Seuss and his wife likely met in Kyoto while filming their post-Hiroshima
documentary. The Japanese were hard-working survivors of the Hiroshima bombing who knew they were
doomed to die but still made a tremendous effort to assist in the rebuilding of their beloved Japan.
Source: http://www.geocities.com/onewhoisalmighty/horton.html
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
9
“Yertle the Turtle” From Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, Dr. Seuss Enterprises / Random House
(April 1, 1958)
Yertle the Turtle (1958) is the story of a turtle king that is corrupted by his own power. Its central character,
modeled on Adolf Hitler, attempts to build a bigger kingdom stacked on top of the backs of his loyal subjects.
But a little turtle stuck at the bottom eventually decides he's had enough. "I know up on top you are seeing great
sights, but down on the bottom we, too, should have rights!"
On the far away island of Sala-ma-sond,
Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond.
A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat.
The water was warm. There was plenty to eat.
The turtles had everything turtles might need.
And they were all happy. Quite happy indeed.
They were . . . until Yertle, the king of them all,
Decided the kingdom he ruled was too small.
"I'm ruler," said Yertle, "of all that I see.
But I don't see enough. That's the trouble with me."
--Yertle the Turtle
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
10
Yertle the Turtle
"In the great big island of Salamasond,
Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond."
Thus begins one of the most beloved of Dr. Seuss' stories. Originally published in 1948, Yertle the Turtle was met with
little success as Dr. Seuss was not yet a famous writer. Upon being republished after The Cat In The Hat splash, however,
it was widely regarded as a spectacular, brilliant children's story, as most of Dr. Seuss' books from thereon would be. The
symbolism in this story was interpreted directly after its first publication; in 1948, World War II was still fresh in the
minds of Americans, and no matter how dainty and amusing the characters in Yertle the Turtle were it was obvious as to
what events Dr. Seuss was alluding to.
In the story, Yertle the Turtle is the despotic ruler of a small yet happy pond. Things get out of hand, though, when he
decides his kingdom isn't large enough for his liking. Therefore, in an effort to increase his kingdom's size, yertle stacks
several turtles on top of one another and perches himself on top of them all (for Yertle believes that he rules everything he
sees). Yertle lets nothing get in his way of the enlargement of his kingdom, not even the moaning of the turtle named
Mack (the turtle at the bottom of the stack). Yertle then sees the moon - the only object higher than he. So Yertle, despite
Mack's warning, stacks over two-thousand turtles below himself in an effort to reach the moon, which he begins to obsess
over. Then, Mack humbly burps and sends the entire throne tumbling, ending Yertle's despotic rule. The story ends like
so:
". . . and the turtles were free,
As perhaps all turtles should be."
The story of Yertle the Turtle closely parallels the story of Adolf Hitler during World War II. In
fact, the original design of Yertle the Turtle had a moustache (before Dr. Seuss removed it, not
wanting the symbolism to be too blatantly obvious). Hitler was the despotic ruler of Germany,
before he decided to expand the country's wealth by means of force. Yertle the Turtle used
turtles as his stepping stones to power, Adolf Hitler used the people of Germany, Italy, Austria,
Czechoslovakia, Greece, the USSR, etc. as his stepping stones to power.
The humble Mack, who at first goes along with Yertle's plan, symbolizes the reluctant USSR.
As Yertle used Mack as a mere tool to his rise to dominion, Hitler used the USSR as a pawn to
aid his military campaigns. Yertle the Turtle later becomes too engrossed in overtaking the
moon to realize the troubles within his own kingdom. Adolf Hitler was too obsessed with
surpassing the United States in power to pay attention to the Red Army he had betrayed. One idiosyncrasy in the story,
though, was that Hitler's downfall was the result mainly of the United States. If Yertle the Turtle were to be put into these
terms, it would state that the moon swept down and tumbled Yertle's throne. However, Mack's overcoming of Yertle
represents the Nazi loss in the USSR during the Red Winter. While this loss to the USSR did indeed weaken the Nazi
military, it was ultimately the United States and Great Britain that took back "Salamasond" from Hitler.
Dr. Seuss made no attempt to deny that Yertle the Turtle was indeed a satirical representation of World War II for the
children sired by "The Best Generation.” And the story has, perhaps subliminally, taught children about Hitler. However,
one major detail Dr. Seuss left out of the story was the Holocaust; the slaughter of millions of organisms would hardly
have been appropriate in a children's book.
Source: http://www.geocities.com/onewhoisalmighty/yertle.html
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
11
The Sneetches and Other Stories, Dr. Seuss Enterprises / Random House (June 1, 1961)
Dr. Seuss revisited a theme from his World War II political cartoons with the publication of The Sneetches in
1961. While its message on racial equality is universal, The Sneetches was inspired by his opposition to antiSemitism.
Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches Had bellies with stars.
The Plain-Belly Sneetches Had none upon thars.
Those stars weren't so big. They were really so small
You might think such a thing wouldn¹t matter at all . . ."
. . . And, really, it's sort of a terrible shame,
For except for those stars, every Sneetch is the same.
--The Sneetches
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
12
The Sneetches
The Sneetches represents Dr. Seuss' opinions like no other book he
wrote in his forty year career. Although his other stories depicted his
political ideas, The Sneetches provided an insight into Seuss' own
personal beliefs on a turbulent period of time in American history.
The Sneetches begins by stating the background of the area the story
took place in: it was a blatantly racist territory with two classes of
Sneetches. One class had stars on their bellies and the other did not.
Therefore, the "star-bellied Sneetches" believed in their superiority
merely because of their added stars.
The segregation in the territory was very strong and hateful: "The
plain-bellied Sneetches weren't allowed on any of the beaches!" as
Seuss described it. The plain-bellied Sneetches had a separate part of
the town to live in and were not allowed to go to any of the local
events held by the star-bellied Sneetches.
One day, an evil entrepreneur came into the town to take advantage
of the situation. The man had a machine which could add stars to the
bellies of the plain-bellied Sneetches, allowing them to gain the
same rights that the star-bellied Sneetches did. The man charged
each plain-bellied Sneetch five dollars to add a star to their bellies.
This made the star-bellied Sneetches angry; they no longer held a supposed superiority over anyone! However,
the entrepreneur had a solution. He developed a machine to take stars off star-bellied Sneetches' bellies. The
star-bellied Sneetches readily did so, in order to keep segregation within their community.
In order to keep up, the original plain-bellied Sneetches had their new stars removed to end the segregation. The
original star-bellied Sneetches had their stars re-administered. This cycle went on until, "the Sneetches had
emptied their pockets.”
At the end of the story, the entrepreneur leaves the city with a truckload of money, chuckling to himself, "You
can't teach a Sneetch!," but he was wrong. The Sneetches, who had switched sides so many times that the
original segregational system was no longer clear, realized how futile the racism was and that a star on the belly
did not matter since all Sneetches were Sneetches.
The Sneetches described Dr. Seuss' stance on the American Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. Obviously,
Dr. Seuss believed in the senselessness of racism and saw it as a blemish in an otherwise-powerful society.
The star-bellied Sneetches represented the white Americans while the plain-bellied Sneetches represented the
African Americans. The message of the story is not meant to completely parallel the exact outcome of the
segregation problems; at the time the book was published, segregation was at its peak and racism was still an
accepted facet of society. Dr. Seuss instead wrote the book to cure the new American generation of the sad
sickness of racism and to vocally express his stance on the situation American society was in at the time.
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
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Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
13
The "evil entrepreneur" represented a savior to the society who did not truly intend to be a savior. Dr. Seuss
meant for the entrepreneur to represent the equal-taxes, equal-rights anti-segregation beckoning to the
government in the 1960's. All the Sneetches paid money to suit their own needs; in the Deep South, citizens
bribed government officials to vote against anti-segregation laws. The African Americans stated that since they
needed to pay the same taxes that whites did, they should have the same rights. In the end, all the money was
lost, but the territory was united.
Dr. Seuss never wrote a sequel or supplement to reinforce his stance on racism. Seuss, however, was
undoubtedly elated by the outcome of the nation's Civil Rights movement due to his hatred of segregation.
Seuss' stance on racism was so strong perhaps because he himself was a racist before; during World War II,
Seuss created numerous anti-Japanese political cartoons in PM.
However, Seuss learned after World War II that a group of people was never what it appeared to be by realizing
that the military of Japan, not the hard-working populace, was responsible for the cruelty to the world in World
War II. Seuss was deeply moved by seeing the Japanese survivors of Hiroshima in Kyoto attempting to rebuild
their lives after the bombing of their homeland, as described in Horton Hears a Who.
Source: http://www.geocities.com/onewhoisalmighty/sneetches.html
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
14
The Lorax, Dr. Seuss Enterprises / Random House (August 1, 1971)
Still an environmental warning over three decades after its publication, The Lorax (1971) is an allegory on the
dangers of deforestation, industrial pollution, and corporate greed. Another Seuss book about how individuals
can make a difference, The Lorax was his personal favorite.
You're in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds.
And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs.
Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care.
Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air.
Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack.
Then the Lorax
and all of his friends
may come back.
--The Lorax
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
15
Discussion Questions
For
The Lorax
By Dr. Seuss
Discuss how The Lorax parallels real life issues that occur in the environment.
1. What species became extinct? Why?
2. What else was effected by the loss of the trees? Why? How?
3. Could this story happen in the United States?
4. How might those species be classified if it did happen in the United
States?
5. What is the natural resource in the story?
6. What are the waste-by-products?
7. What actions might have been taken to protect the species portrayed
in the story?
Provided by Brenda Chapman, Curriculum Specialist, Putnam City School District
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
16
The Butter Battle Book, Dr. Seuss Enterprises / Random House (March 1, 1984)
Published in 1984, on his 80th birthday, The Butter Battle Book was the most controversial tale that Dr. Seuss
ever wrote. A parody of the Cold War, it is the story of an arms race between the Yooks and the Zooks, whose
disagreement is over how best to butter one's bread. It was aimed squarely at the rhetoric of Ronald Reagan.
"I'm not anti-military," Seuss said, "just anti-crazy."
"Grandpa!" I shouted. "Be careful! Oh, gee!
Who's going to drop it?
Will you...? Or will he...?"
"Be patient," said Grandpa. "We'll see.
We will see..."
--The Butter Battle Book
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
State Superintendent’s
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Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
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17
The Butter Battle Book
The Butter Battle Book is the allegorical story of two opposing
archrivals, the Yooks and the Zooks. Both sides are similar in every
way, except the Yooks butter their bread on the topside whereas the
Zooks buttered their bread on the bottom.
The two nations are separated by a wall. The two main characters
are young-looking (even though their features are largely
undistinguishable since they are unlike any Earthian species) at the
beginning of the story, but become progressively older as the story
goes on. This shows the extremely long period of time over which
the symbolized war took place; over 50 years.
The story is told from the point of view of the main field soldier of
the Yooks. At the beginning, he begins a quarrel with a Zook over a
pointless matter. Each side's hate for the other stems only from their
trivial buttering differences.
Now, after each small quarrel, the main Yook goes to his commander, who after each small battle promotes the
soldier and gives him a bigger, stronger weapon. After a certain point, both sides start making the exact same
weapon, until the very last one, which I will refer to later on.
Dr. Seuss made the Americans and Soviets in the Cold War the Yooks and the Zooks in the Butter War,
respectively. The narrator's archrival is a Zook by the name of Von Itch, an eastern European name. The
narrator always confronts Von Itch with his new weapons, and each time goes back to his headquarters for a
better one. Such was the story with the Americans and Soviets; during the Cold War, the two sides clashed in
everything from space exploration to the weapons race.
After each satellite the Soviets launched and each missile the Soviets produced, American physicists worked
day and night to build a better satellite, a more powerful bomb.
The point came in the midst of the Cold War where each side had built enough nuclear weapons to destroy the
other country multiple times, thus creating two decades of insecurity and instability. The name "Von Itch"
indicates eastern European origin, clearly representing the Soviet Union. Also, the lead weapons-maker for the
narrator's affiliation looks remarkably like Dr. Oppenheimer, the head of the United State's Manhattan Project in
the 1940s and 1950s.
To Americans, World War III was imminent. The rest of the world was positive one side would launch a
nuclear warhead, but no one was sure which side it would be.
The Butter Battle Book ends in a similar fashion. The narrator (who by now is old and hunched over) is given a
final weapon by his superior. The weapon is "The Bitsy Big Boy Boomeroo, which can blow the Zooks clear to
Salamagoo!" It is filled with the mysterious "moo-kla-moo,” which is the story-world equivalent to the
plutonium in nuclear bombs. Before the narrator drops it, his superior orders all the Yooks into "Yookeries,”
much like our own fallout shelters of the time.
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The story was published in 1984, when the Cold War was not yet over. Dr. Seuss did not know how to properly
finish the story since it was unclear exactly who would win the war. The narrator is finally seen on top of the
dividing wall, holding the glowing egg (the glow indicates its radiactivity) over the other side, facing Von Itch
who is holding his own Bitsy Big Boy Boomeroo over the Yook side.
The old and tired-looking narrator tells his grandson to watch as he makes history, and Seuss ends the story with
this cliffhanger:
"Be careful Grandpa,
Be careful! Oh gee!
Who will drop it, will you or will he?"
"I don't know," Grandpa replied,
"We'll see.
We shall see."
Dr. Seuss artfully taught a generation of youngsters the story of the Cold War through The Butter Battle Book. It
was one of the last famous stories he wrote, composed only seven years before his death in 1991.
Source: http://www.geocities.com/onewhoisalmighty/butter.html
Dr. Seuss and Universal Themes
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Grades: 7th Grade – 12th Grade
Time Frame: Three class periods (but the assessment activity may be assigned for
Homework)
Introduction:
Students should already realize that the literature they read in school conveys themes and lessons that apply to
various life situations and experiences. It may surprise them, however, that young children's stories also impart
important themes and lessons. The Dr. Seuss books are particularly good examples of this.
In this lesson, students will discover some of the themes of Dr. Seuss's major books. By viewing excerpts from
THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS and examining the film’s Web site, they will see how, despite being written for
young children, Dr. Seuss' books contain powerful messages about important themes in American history and
society. The students will conclude by creating posters to showcase one of these themes.
Lesson objectives:
Students will:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Discuss the main ideas and lessons of a work of literature, short story, or poem they've recently read.
Discuss themes from children's books they have read in the past.
Watch excerpts from THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS and take notes on the main ideas of several Dr.
Seuss books.
Add their own words to a list of words and phrases that describe themes in the Dr. Seuss books.
Explore three Dr. Seuss books featured on THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS Web site, and choose words
from their list to describe the themes in these books.
Discuss the themes they have explored in the Dr. Seuss books.
Create posters to illustrate one theme Dr. Seuss addresses in his books.
Materials needed:
•
•
•
•
Computers with Internet access
TV and VCR
THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS video
A handout with the following words and phrases listed: corruption, power, human rights, racism,
tolerance, environmental stewardship, greed, pollution, war, anti-Semitism, Hitler, Holocaust, Cold War
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Standards
(http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp):
Language Arts:
Standard 6: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts.
Standard 9: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.
Teaching strategy:
1. Hold a brief class discussion on a work of literature, short story, or poem that students
have recently read, either in your class or in another class that all your students have in
common. Ask students to describe the themes, main points, and lessons that the reading
conveyed. Discuss the ways in which the author conveyed these messages. The
following questions may be helpful in this discussion:
•
•
•
What themes and lessons come up in this book or story? Does the story have a moral?
Are the themes and lessons stated up front, or does the author use metaphors or other techniques to
disguise the main points? How easy or difficult was it for you to "get" the main points?
How do you feel about the main themes and lessons of this story? Do you agree or disagree with the
author's view that these lessons are important?
2. Take a few minutes to discuss themes from books students may have read as younger children, including the
Dr. Seuss books. Do students remember the lessons they learned from any of these childhood stories?
3. Make sure students understand that many of the books they have read, both recently and as younger
children, contain important messages and lessons. One of the most important functions of literature, whether
for teenagers, adults, or young children, is to convey a message, lesson, or overall idea that the author feels
is important. As students will see shortly, Dr. Seuss conveyed political and social themes that he felt were
important.
4. Show the following excerpts from THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS. After viewing each segment, ask
students to determine the main lesson or theme Dr. Seuss wanted to convey in that particular cartoon or
book. Have them write down those main ideas on their own piece of paper, next to the name of each book.
Pause after each book is discussed on the video to verify that students understand the book's main ideas.
•
•
•
01:36:36 – 01:38:28: Horton Hears A Who!
• Themes: democratization in post-war Japan, treating Japanese people with respect and really
listening to them
• Explain that the United States occupied Japan after World War II, and this is the period Horton is
dealing with
01:38:28 – 01:41:15: Yertle the Turtle
• Themes: Hitler, thirst for power
01:41:16 – 01:45:18 The Sneetches
• Themes: anti-Semitism, racism, tolerance
• Explain to students that the Nazis often required Jews to wear yellow stars on their clothing to
identify themselves as Jewish
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•
•
•
01:49:12 - 01:50:52: The Cat in the Hat
• Themes: general subversion and rebellion against authority, new optimism and energy of the
1960s
02:03:09 – 02:07:33: The Lorax
• Themes: conservation, corporate greed, against the consumer culture
02:09:58 – 02:17:14: The Butter Battle Book
• Themes: Cold War, against silly conflict that escalates into a dangerous
situation
5. Give students a handout with these words and phrases listed: corruption,
power, human rights, racism, tolerance, environmental stewardship, greed,
pollution, war, anti-Semitism, Hitler, Holocaust, Cold War. Ask students if
they are familiar with all of these terms, and define any of the ones they
don't know. They may realize that these words and phrases describe
themes that appear in some of the Dr. Seuss books they have learned about
in the video.
6. Discuss students' ideas about and reactions to the video excerpts as a class. What words and phrases did they
use to describe the books discussed in the video? Which words and phrases on the handout apply to these
books?
7. Have students add words and phrases to the handout from their own observations of the Dr. Seuss books, as
described in the video. For example, if they wrote "anti-war" in their notes while watching the video excerpt
on The Butter Battle Book, they should add "anti-war" to the list on their handout.
8. Have students go to the Web site for THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS. Ask them to select "The Gallery" from
the left side of the screen and then select "Enter Gallery" at the lower right. Have them look at the following
Dr. Seuss drawings and list the name of the book each drawing is from on their own paper. Have students
read the captions and look carefully at the drawings.
•
•
•
bottom row, fourth (middle) drawing (Yertle the Turtle)
bottom row, sixth drawing (The Lorax)
bottom row, last drawing (The Butter Battle Book)
9. Ask students to examine the list of words and phrases on their handouts and match the drawings and
captions to the words and phrases that they feel apply to each of the three Dr. Seuss books listed above. For
example, for The Lorax, students might list "corruption," "power," "environmental stewardship," "greed,"
and "pollution."
10. Discuss the ways in which the general social and political themes on the handout relate to Dr. Seuss's work.
Which of his books address which themes? What techniques does Dr. Seuss use to get his points across?
Why do students think Dr. Seuss wanted to convey these messages, rather than simply writing engaging
children's books? Do students think Dr. Seuss's style of conveying important themes in children's book is
effective?
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Assessment:
Ask each student or small group to choose one theme that Dr. Seuss used in his books. Have them create posters
showing examples of stories and drawings that illustrate this theme. The stories and drawings may be taken
from Dr. Seuss, other authors, or students' own original work, depending on your time frame. The theme should
be written prominently at the top of the poster to serve as its title.
If time is short, have students draw their own versions of the Dr. Seuss characters or
completely new characters whose behaviors represent the same themes. They should add
text to describe how the characters represent the theme.
If you have more time, students may research other authors who have written on the
themes Dr. Seuss included in his books, such as racism, tolerance, and environmental
stewardship. They should include drawings and text showing how these authors' stories
and characters represent the theme students have selected.
Extension ideas:
Have students read a Dr. Seuss book of their choice and determine whether it has any of the themes
they have discussed in this lesson. If so, ask them to list these themes and write a paragraph explaining the
book's message with regard to the themes. If not, ask them to list the themes they believe the book does express
and to write a paragraph explaining how those themes are presented in the book.
The following may be done before or after students complete the assessment activity:
Read a Dr. Seuss book to the class. It would be preferable to read one of the books discussed in the video, such
as The Lorax. Allow students to look at the pictures, and ask them to think about the messages and main points
of the story.
Discuss the main ideas and themes in the book. Also discuss the techniques Dr. Seuss uses to convey these
messages and themes. Some examples of techniques include using simple words and word structure, specific
words or phrases that rhyme or repeat, drawings, and characters' actions. How do his techniques help get his
points across?
About the author
Betsy Hedberg is a teacher and freelance curriculum writer who has published lesson plans on a variety of
subjects. She received her secondary teaching credential in social studies from Loyola Marymount University
and her master of arts in geography from UCLA. In addition to curriculum writing, she presents seminars and
training sessions to help teachers incorporate the Internet into their classrooms.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
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Political Cartoons and Dr. Seuss
Grades: 9th Grade – 12th Grade
Time Frame: Three class periods (but the assessment activity may be assigned for homework)
Introduction:
Political cartoons have played a role in United States politics and public affairs since the 1700s. Dr. Seuss drew
political cartoons for PM newspaper during World War II, expressing his liberal views in an uncensored
medium. Students will analyze some of these cartoons on THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS video and Web site
and discuss how these cartoons convey Dr. Seuss's messages. They will conclude by creating their own political
cartoons concerning a current event.
Lesson objectives:
Students will:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Analyze a recent political cartoon
Read and discuss an article about political cartooning
View and take notes on a segment of THE POLITICAL
DR. SEUSS
View and take notes on political cartoons on THE
POLITICAL DR. SEUSS Web site
Discuss their observations of Dr. Seuss's political cartoons
Create their own political cartoons about a current event
Materials Needed:
•
•
•
•
Computers with Internet access
TV and VCR
THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS video
Drawing materials (blank white paper, colored pencils, magazines suitable for cutting, scissors, glue—or
students may be asked to gather these materials on their own)
Standards: (http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp)
Language Arts:
•
Standard 9: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.
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•
Standard 10: Understands the characteristics and components of the media United States History.
•
Standard 25: Understands the causes and course of World War II, the character of the war at home and
abroad, and its reshaping of America’s roles in world affairs Civics.
•
Standard 29: Understands the importance of political leadership, public service, and a knowledgeable
citizenry in American constitutional democracy.
Teaching strategy:
1. Show students a political cartoon from a recent newspaper. Discuss their interpretation of the cartoon. Why
did the artist draw it? What message is he or she trying to get across? How effective do students think this
cartoon is in making its point?
2. Have students read the text on the Political Cartooning page at THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS Web site.
3. Discuss these questions as a class, asking students to consider what they have read on the site:
•
•
What are some advantages of political cartoons over plain text articles? (possible answers: less literate
people can often understand them, they are eye-catching and succinct)
What are some of the purposes and outcomes of political cartoons? (possible answers: they express
political thought, champion activism, and help bring about social change)
4. Write the following words and phrases on the board: Fascism, anti-Semitism, America First movement,
Japanese American internment, left-wing. Ask students if they can define any of these terms, and discuss
their meanings. Provide definitions for the terms students are not familiar with, as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
Fascism: a political philosophy that glorifies the state and confers supreme power to a dictatorial leader
while forcibly suppressing opposition and individual expression. Nazi Germany was an example of a
fascist state.
Anti-Semitism: prejudice against Jews.
America First Movement: a movement during World War II that
advocated isolationism and nonintervention in Europe. Pilot Charles
Lindbergh was involved in this movement.
Japanese American Internment: the forced removal of Japanese
Americans from their homes to internment camps during World War II.
Left-Wing: during World War II, members of the political left were
against racism and anti-Semitism, opposed to Hitler, against
isolationism and the America First movement, and pro-labor, but many
distrusted the Japanese and condoned the internment of Japanese Americans.
Explain that these terms will be mentioned in the video segment students are about to see.
5. Show the time segment 01:20:11 – 01:26:55 of THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS. As students watch, ask them
to take notes to answer these questions:
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•
How did Dr. Seuss respond to Hitler and Mussolini, the Holocaust, and the Japanese American
internment?
•
Why did Dr. Seuss choose to write for the New York magazine PM?
6. Discuss the above questions as a class, using examples from the video.
7. Ask students to make charts with three columns. They should label the first column "cartoon title," the
second "topic," and the third "Dr. Seuss's view."
8. Have students return to THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS Web site. Ask them to select "The Gallery" from the
left side of the screen and then select "Enter Gallery" at the lower right. Have them look at each of the black
and white political cartoons and read the captions for each one.
9. As students view each cartoon, ask them to fill in their charts with the following information:
•
•
•
first column: write the name of the cartoon
second column: write the historical event or situation the cartoon addresses (e.g. "the America First
movement during World War II")
third column: write the viewpoint Dr. Seuss takes in this cartoon. What is he trying to say in his
drawing?
10. As an option to save time in the previous two steps, divide the class into small groups and assign each group
to a few of the cartoons. Have groups share the information they have entered into their charts with the
class.
11. Discuss these questions as a class, asking students to use their notes from the video and the Web site:
•
•
•
•
How did Dr. Seuss's cartoons reflect his own political views?
How did Dr. Seuss respond to the Japanese internment? How did this response differ from his reaction
to other acts of racial and ethnic discrimination?
How effective do you think Dr. Seuss's political cartoons are in communicating his viewpoints?
How important do you think the work of political cartoonists is in general? Do you think they still play
an important role in shaping public opinion? Why or why not?
Assessment:
Have each student choose a current event in national or world politics.
They might select an international conflict, a domestic issue under
debate, or the actions of a particular political leader.
You might want to list potential current event topics on the board and
discuss them as a class to make sure students understand the issues
involved. Unless students have time for indepth research of new issues,
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encourage them to choose current events they have already heard about and may have already developed
opinions on.
Ask students to create political cartoons that illustrate their reaction to the event they have selected. Students
who are not comfortable drawing may cut out pictures from newspapers or magazines (but not political
cartoons!) and make a collage rather than an original drawing, but they must write their own text to show the
point they're trying to illustrate.
Have all students, whether they've drawn pictures or made collages, write captions explaining what the cartoon
shows and why they have chosen to create their cartoon on this issue. They should write captions on separate
pieces of paper so people looking at the cartoon must initially try to determine its meaning without the help of
the caption.
Extension ideas:
Have students choose a modern political cartoon from Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index. They
should select a topic from the list on the left side of the screen.
Have them write paragraphs comparing and contrasting the cartoon they have selected with one of the Dr. Seuss
political cartoons they have examined in this lesson. They should address the similarities and differences
between the artists' drawing styles, the messages the cartoons are conveying and any other factors they think are
significant.
Have students go to Political Cartoons of the Lilly Library to find political cartoons from before the twentieth
century. Ask them to choose two or three cartoons from this Web site and write paragraphs describing the issues
or events they relate to, the viewpoints they show and how they differ from today's political cartoons.
About the author
Betsy Hedberg is a teacher and freelance curriculum writer who has published lesson plans on a variety of
subjects. She received her secondary teaching credential in social studies from Loyola Marymount University
and her master of arts in geography from UCLA. In addition to curriculum writing, she presents seminars and
training sessions to help teachers incorporate the Internet into their classrooms.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
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Dr. Seuss (1904 - 1991)
Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2, 1904, in
Springfield, Massachusetts. He was the son of Theodor R. Geisel, the
Superintendent of the City's Parks. After graduation from Central High School, he
completed his undergraduate work at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. Here
he took advantage of all the facilities present, particularly the winter sports such as
skiing. After he graduated in 1925 he spent some time writing a column for the
Springfield Union, before starting his postgraduate work as a student of English
Literature at Lincoln College, Oxford. While finding a course in the punctuation of
Shakespeare dull, he began to draw pictures and doodles during his lectures. It was
here that he found he had a real talent for cartooning. Subsequently, in a period of
travel around Europe, he wrote his first, as yet unpublished novel. On his return to
the United States, Geisel began to draw in earnest, becoming a freelance cartoonist and illustrator. It was here
he coined his pen-name Dr. Seuss. It originated from his mother's maiden name and the long-coveted Ph.D.
that he never got round to earning. In November 1927, after his first real break, he married Helen Palmer who
was a classmate of his at Oxford.
And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street (1937)
was the first of his many children's books which he both
wrote and illustrated. This was followed by the classic
Horton Hatches the Egg in 1940, the story of an
elephant duped by a bird to sit on her egg. After service
in the army during World War II, Geisel went into
advertising for a while, and became a highly successful
political cartoonist for PM, a New York based
newspaper. Eventually in 1957, he began to write a
series of Beginner Books intended to help teach basic
reading skills. These began with the much-loved The
Cat in The Hat in 1958, which was closely followed by
Green Eggs and Ham, in 1960. His engaging rhymed
narratives blend with the imaginative illustrations of his bizarre fantasy world. However, his books can best be
identified by their unique brand of humor and the wacky characters. He produced 44 children's books in all,
which also have a large, devoted adult following. By 1970, 30 million copies of his books had been sold in the
United States alone, and the name of Seuss had become synonymous with learning to read. By his death, he
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had sold more than 100 million copies in 18 languages. He received a special Pulitzer Prize citation in 1984 for
his lifetime contribution to the education and enjoyment of America's children and their parents.
"A person's a person, no matter how small! Children want the same things we
want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained, and delighted." It was this
respectful attitude towards children that helped make his books so popular.
The story How The Grinch Stole Christmas, written in 1957, was made into an
animated cartoon for television and now a major Hollywood blockbuster starring
Jim Carrey. He also wrote the screenplay for the cartoon Gerald McBoing Boing.
This classic animation won an Academy Award in 1951. Subsequently, he
continued to make animated cartoons for television, many of which were based on
his books.
However, Geisel did not confine himself to children's books. He also made
documentary films, such as Hitler Lives (1946) and Design for Death (1947) with
his wife, both of which won Academy Awards. His last books were for adults,
including the bestsellers, You're Only Old Once! (1986), and Oh, the Places
You'll Go! (1990). The children's book Daisy-Head Maysie was published
posthumously in 1995, based upon sketches and dialogues that Geisel had created
for an animated television special.
"I do not like them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am."
Green Eggs and Ham.
Source: http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/famous/seuss/
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Dr. Seuss Quotes
"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple."
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't
mind."
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."
"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
:If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good."
"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.
Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.
It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.
Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities."
"Adults are obsolete children."
"You're in pretty good shape for the shape you are in."
"I learned there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some from behind."
"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So . . . get on your way."
"Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained, and delighted."
"OH, THE THINGS YOU CAN FIND, IF YOU DON'T STAY BEHIND!"
From: On Beyond Zebra
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Dr. Seuss Timeline
1904
Theodor Seuss Geisel born on March 2 in Springfield, Massachusetts
1925
Graduates from Dartmouth College
1927
Marries Helen Palmer, begins career as freelance cartoonist
1937
And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street (Vanguard)
1938
The 500 Hats Of Bartholomew Cubbins (Vanguard)
1939
The King's Stilts (Random House)
1940
Horton Hatches The Egg (Random House)
1943
Serves in the U. S. Army Signal Corps for three years
1946
Wins Academy Award for documentary "Hitler Lives" with wife Helen
1947
Wins Academy Award for documentary "Design for Death" with wife, Helen;
McElligot's POOL (Random House)
1948
Wins Academy Award for animated cartoon "Gerald McBoing-Boing"
1949
Thidwick, The Big-Hearted Moose (Random House); Bartholomew And The Oobleck
(Random House)
1950
If I Ran The Zoo (Random House)
1953
Scrambled Eggs Super! (Random House)
1954
Horton Hears A Who! (Random House)
1955
On Beyond Zebra (Random House)
1956
If I Ran The Circus (Random House)
1957
Becomes founder and president of Beginner Books, Random House, Inc.; The Cat In
The Hat (Random House); How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (Random House)
1958
The Cat In The Hat Comes Back! (Random House); Yertle The Turtle (Random
House)
1959
Happy Birthday To You! (Random House)
1960
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (Random House); Green Eggs And Ham
(Random House)
1961
The Sneetches And Other Stories (Random House)
1962
Dr. Seuss' Sleep Book (Random House)
1963
Hop On Pop (Random House); Dr. Seuss' ABC (Random House)
1964
The Cat In The Hat Dictionary By The Cat Himself written with P. D. Eastman.
(Random House)
1965
Fox In Socks (Random House); I Had Trouble In Getting To Solla Sollew (Random
House)
1966
December 18 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas airs on CBS-TV
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1967
The Cat In The Hat Songbook (Random House)
1968
The Foot Book (Random House)
1969
I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today And Other Stories (Random House)
1970
I Can Draw It Myself (Random House); Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? (Random
House); Horton Hears A Who! airs on CBS-TV
1971
The Lorax (Random House); The Cat in the Hat airs on CBS-TV
1972
Marvin K. Mooney, Will You Please Go Now? (Random House)
1973
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? (Random House); The Shape Of Me And
Other Stuff (Random House)
1974
There's A Wocket In My Pocket! (Random House)
1975
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think! (Random House)
1976
The Cat's Quizzer (Random House)
1978
I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! (Random House)
1979
Oh Say Can You Say? (Random House); The Dr. Seuss Storybook (Collins)
1982
Hunches In Bunches (Random House)
1984
The Butter Battle Book (Random House); Wins special Pulitzer Prize for his
contribution to children's literature
1986
You're Only Old Once (Random House); The Tough Coughs As He Ploughs The
Dough: Early Writings And Cartoons By Dr. Seuss (Morrow)
1990
Oh, The Places You'll Go! (Random House); Six By Seuss: A Treasury Of Dr. Seuss
Classics (Random House)
1991
Dies on September 24; Daisy-Head Mayzie (Random House)
1997
A Hatful Of Seuss: Five Favorite Dr. Seuss Stories (Random House)
2000
Gerald McBoing Boing (Random House)
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Dr. Seuss Reading Checklist
Have you read all of Dr. Seuss's books? Here's a checklist of Dr. Seuss's books in the order
they were published. Print this out and take it with you to the library or bookstore so that
you won't miss a single story by the great Dr. Seuss!
The 500 Hats Of Bartholomew Cubbins
And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street
Bartholomew And The Oobleck
The Butter Battle Book
The Cat In The Hat
The Cat In The Hat Comes Back
The Cat In The Hat Dictionary By The Cat Himself
The Cat In The Hat Songbook
The Cat's Quizzer
Daisy-Head Mayzie
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
Dr. Seuss' ABC
Dr. Seuss' Sleep Book
The Dr. Seuss Storybook
The Foot Book
Fox In Socks
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Gerald McBoing Boing
Green Eggs And Ham
Happy Birthday To You!
A Hatful Of Seuss: Five Favorite Dr. Seuss Stories
Hop On Pop
Horton Hatches The Egg
Horton Hears A Who!
How The Grinch Stole Christmas!
Hunches In Bunches
I Can Draw It Myself
I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today And Other Stories
I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
I Had Trouble In Getting To Solla Sollew
If I Ran The Circus
If I Ran The Zoo
The King's Stilts
The Lorax
Marvin K. Mooney, Will You Please Go Now?
McElligot's Pool
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?
Oh Say Can You Say?
Oh, The Places You'll Go!
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think!
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On Beyond Zebra
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Scrambled Eggs Super!
The Shape Of Me And Other Stuff
Six By Seuss: A Treasury Of Dr. Seuss Classics
The Sneetches And Other Stories
There's A Wocket In My Pocket!
Thidwick, The Big-Hearted Moose
The Tough Coughs As He Ploughs The Dough: Early Writings And Cartoons By Dr. Seuss
Seuss
Yertle The Turtle
You're Only Old Once
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The Political Dr. Seuss
More than 200 of the cartoons were assembled for the first time in the book Dr. Seuss Goes to
War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel by Richard H. Minear.
Minear is a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and one of the
country's leading historians of Japan during World War II. This exhibit, guest-curated by
Minear, is based in part on his book and is the first exhibit to examine the political side of Dr.
Seuss. (left: Pay Your Income Tax Here, Political cartoon by Dr. Seuss, from the newspaper PM, May 27, 1942)
Minear said that there is "a disconnect between what we usually think of as Dr. Seuss and the
content of the cartoons." However, many Dr. Seuss's whimsical children's books also contain
serious themes. Yertle the Turtle, for example, is a cautionary tale against dictators. The Lorax
contains a strong environmental message. The Sneetches is a plea for racial tolerance. Horton
Hears a Who is a parable about the American Occupation of Japan. And The Butter Battle Book
pillories the Cold War and nuclear deterrence. Even the Cat in the Hat's famous red-and-white-striped hat has a
political predecessor in the top hat Uncle Sam wears in Dr. Seuss's wartime cartoons. (left: What This Country
Needs Is a Good Mental Insecticide, Political cartoon by Dr. Seuss, from the newspaper PM, June 11, 1942)
Some of these characters, such as a Sneetch-type creature and a prototype of Yertle the Turtle,
made their first appearance not in Dr. Seuss's children's books, but in the some 400 political
cartoons he drew for PM, a left-wing daily newspaper published in New York from 1940 to
1948. Dr. Seuss worked as an editorial cartoonist for the paper from 1941 to 1943, drawing
cartoons that lambasted isolationism, racism, anti-Semitism, Hitler, Mussolini, the Japanese, and
the conservative forces in American politics. (right: "Listen maestro...if you want to get real harmony, use the
black keys as well as the white!" Political cartoon by Dr. Seuss, from the newspaper PM, June 29, 1942)
Dr. Seuss (born Theodor Seuss Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1904) began his career in the
late 1920s, doing cartoons for the humor magazines Judge and Life. He established a reputation as an
advertising artist, best known for his illustrations promoting Flit bug spray. His first cartoon for PM
lampooned Virginio Gayda, editor of the fascist publication Il Giornale d'ltalia. But, Minear wrote,
"Hitler is the prime subject of all of Dr. Seuss's World War II cartoons. Without him, Dr. Seuss
might well have remained a successful commercial artist with a sideline in children's literature."
(right: America First, Political cartoon by Dr. Seuss, from the newspaper PM, October 1, 1941)
The cartoons are all signed "Dr. Seuss," but even without the signature there would be no mistaking the artist.
The drawings are filled with his trademark contraptions and creatures, many of them eerily similar to those in
his children's books. Bizarre animals abound; he often used a dachshund to represent Germany, and cats to
represent Japan.
However, it is Dr. Seuss's portrayal of the Japanese that is most disturbing. His Japanese
characters don't represent Hirohito or any other well-known World War II figure, in contrast to
his obvious pictures of Hitler. Instead, Minear wrote, ". . . Dr. Seuss draws 'Japan' - piggish
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nose, coke-bottle eyeglasses, slanted eyes, brush mustache, lips parted (usually in a smile)." He went on to say,
"Perhaps it is no surprise that American cartoonists during the Pacific War painted Japan in overtly racist ways.
However, it is a surprise that a person who denounces anti-black racism and anti-Semitism so eloquently can be
oblivious of his own racist treatment of Japanese and Japanese Americans. And to find such cartoons - largely
unreproached - in the pages of the leading left newspaper of New York City and to realize that the cartoonist is
the same Dr. Seuss we celebrate today for his imagination and tolerance and breadth of vision: this is a sobering
experience." (left: What Have You Done Today To Help Save Your Country From Them?, Political cartoon by
Dr. Seuss, from the newspaper PM, March 5, 1942)
Copyright 1996-2000 Traditional Fine Art Online, Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Details:
ISBN: 1565847040
Format: Paperback, 272pp
Pub. Date: September 2001
Publisher: New Press, The
Barnes & Noble Sales Rank: 58,570
Source: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?isbn=1565847040
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ABOUT THE BOOK
Dr. Seuss Goes to War: World War Il Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss
Geisel
FROM OUR EDITORS
Drawing Conclusions
Well before Sam ever considered eating green eggs and ham or Horton heard a who, Dr. Seuss was
drawing biting cartoons for adults that expressed his fierce opposition to anti-Semitism and fascism. An
editorial cartoonist from 1941 to 1943 for PM magazine, a left-wing daily New York newspaper, Dr.
Seuss launched a battle against dictatorial rule abroad and America First (an isolationist organization
that argued against U. S. entry into World War II) with more than 400 cartoons urging the United States
to fight against Adolf Hitler and his cohorts in fascism, Benito Mussolini, Pierre Laval, and Japan (he
never depicted General Tojo Hideki, the wartime prime minister, or Togo Shigenori, the foreign
minister). Dr. Seuss Goes to War, by Richard H. Minear, includes 200 of these cartoons, demonstrating
the active role Dr. Seuss played in shaping and reflecting how America responded to World War II as
events unfolded.
As one of America's leading historians of Japan during World War II, Minear also offers insightful
commentary on the historical and political significance of this immense body of work that, until now,
has not been seriously considered as part of Dr. Seuss's extraordinary legacy.
Born to a German-American family in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1904, Theodor Geisel began his
cartooning career at Dartmouth College, where he contributed to the humor magazine. After a run-in
with college authorities for bootlegging liquor, he had to use a pseudonym to get his work published,
choosing his middle name, Seuss, and adding "Dr." several years later when he dropped out of graduate
school at Oxford University in England. He had never planned on setting poison political pen to paper
until he realized his deep hatred of Italian fascism. The first editorial cartoon he drew depicts the editor
of the fascist paper Il Giornale d'Italia wearing a fez (part of Italy's fascist uniform) and banging away
at a giant steam typewriter while a winged Mussolini holds up the free end of the banner of paper
emerging from the roll. He submitted it to a friend at PM, an outspoken political magazine that was
"against people who push other people around," and began his two-year career with the magazine
before joining the United States Army as a documentary filmmaker in 1943.
Dr. Seuss's first caricature of Hitler appears in the May 1941 cartoon, "The head eats, the rest gets
milked," portraying the dictator as the proprietor of "Consolidated World Dairy," merging 11 conquered
nations into one cow. Hitler went on to become one of the main caricatures in Seuss's work for the next
two years, depicted alone, among his generals and other Germans, and with his allies Benito Mussolini
and Pierre Laval. He is also drawn alongside "Japan," which Dr. Seuss portrays quite offensively, with
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slanted, bespectacled eyes and a sneering grin. While Dr. Seuss was outspoken against antiblack racism
in the United States, he held a virulent disdain for the Japanese and rendered sinister and, at times,
slanderous caricatures of their wartime actions even before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. But Dr.
Seuss's aggression wasn't solely reserved for the fascists abroad. He was also loudly critical of
America's initial apathy toward the war, skewering isolationists like America First advocate Charles
Lindbergh, the Chicago Tribune's Colonel Robert McCormick, Eleanor Medill Patterson of the
Washington Times-Herald, and Joseph Patterson of the New York Daily News, whom he considered as
evil as Hitler. He encouraged Americans to buy war savings bonds and stamps and to do everything
they could to ensure victory over fascism.
Minear provides historical background in Dr. Seuss Goes to War that not only serves to contextualize
these cartoons but also deftly explains the highly problematic anti-Japanese and anticommunist stances
held by both Dr. Seuss and PM magazine, which contradicted the leftist sentiments to which they both
eagerly adhered. As Minear notes, Dr. Seuss eventually softened his feelings toward communism as
Russia and the United States were united on the Allied front, but his stereotypical portrayals of Japanese
and Japanese-Americans grew increasingly and undeniably racist as the war raged on, reflecting the
troubling public opinion of American citizens. Minear does not attempt to ignore or redeem Dr. Seuss's
hypocrisy; rather, he shows how these cartoons evoke the mood and the issues of the era.
After Dr. Seuss left PM magazine, he never drew another editorial cartoon, though we find in these
cartoons the genesis of his later characters Yertle the dictating turtle and the Cat in the Hat, who bears a
striking resemblance to Uncle Sam. Dr. Seuss Goes to War is an astonishing collection of work that
many of his devoted fans have not been able to see until now. But this book is also a comprehensive,
thoughtfully researched, and exciting history lesson of the Second World War, by a writer who loves
Dr. Seuss as much as those who grow up with his books do.
—Kera Bolonik
FROM THE PUBLISHER
For decades, readers throughout the world have enjoyed the marvelous stories and illustrations of
Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. But few know Geisel's work as a political cartoonist
during World War II for the New York daily newspaper PM. In these marvelously trenchant cartoons,
Geisel captured the Zeitgeist - especially the attitudes of the New Deal liberals who read PM - with a
wonderful Seussian flair, Dr. Seuss Goes to War features handsome, large-format reproductions of
more than two hundred of Geisel's cartoons from this time. The cartoons savage Hitler, Japan,
Mussolini, and "isolationist" leaders such as Charles Lindbergh; exhort readers to give full support to
the war effort, put up with shortages, buy United States savings bonds, and help control inflation. They
are sharply critical of anti-Semitism and anti-black racism - and, shockingly, undeniably racist in their
portrayal of Japanese Americans. An introduction and commentary by Richard H. Minear, an historian
of the era and author of Victors' Justice, place them in context and provide insight into the national
climate they reflect.
Source: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?isbn=1565847040
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For decades, readers have enjoyed the stories and
illustrations of Theodor Seuss Geisel—Dr. Seuss. Famous
for his children’s books, Dr. Seuss’s political cartoons have
remained largely unknown. From 1941 to 1943, Seuss
served as chief editorial cartoonist for the New York liberal
newspaper PM, and his work commented on issues of the
day. His political cartoons during World War II denounced
isolationism, racism, and anti-Semitism. They sold war
bonds and attacked Hitler, Mussolini, and the Japanese in a
manner that melded message, fantasy, and reality in a
uniquely Seussian style. The influence of Dr. Seuss’s work
at PM could later be seen throughout his whimsical
children's books, where he employed serious themes such
as fairness, tolerance, and democracy in his quest to enlist
everyone to help make a better world.
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"Since when did we swap our ego for an ostrich?"
(The Lindbergh Quarter)
PM (April 28, 1941)
Seuss and PM believed that the United States should intervene in the war in Europe. "I believed the U.S.A.
would go down the drain if we listened to the America-First-isms of Charles Lindbergh and Senators Wheeler
and Nye," said Seuss. "I, probably, was intemperate in my attacks on them. But they almost disarmed this
country at the time it was obviously about to be destroyed."
The first person to fly solo across the Atlantic, Lindbergh, an international hero, spoke highly of Hitler's regime.
America First was an anti-interventionist organization against the Roosevelt administration's plans for
intervention. Seuss used the ostrich as a symbol of isolationism in many of his cartoons.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
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"The head eats......the rest gets milked" PM (May 19, 1941)
German Chancellor Adolf Hitler is the prime subject of Dr. Seuss's World War II cartoons. "I had no great
causes or interest in social issues until Hitler," Seuss said in his biography.
By spring 1941, Hitler controlled most of Europe. In this cartoon, he is the proprietor of "Consolidated World
Dairy," with 11 conquered nations making up the body of one single cow. With Hitler at the head, the
hindquarters remain in question.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
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... and the Wolf chewed up the children and spit out their bones . . . But those were Foreign Children and it
really didn't matter." PM (October 1, 1941)
In this editorial cartoon, the anti-interventionist organization America First is represented by the mother and the
"big bad wolf," which is named for Adolf Hitler. She tells a scary tale, but it is only scary for foreigners.
Scholar Philp Nel points out: "As in many of his PM cartoons, a cat bears witness to the event, its wide-eyed
expression suggesting that we, too, should keep our eyes open. The cat and two children appear a bit surprised
to hear that Adolf the Wolf's murder of these 'foreign children' doesn't matter, simply because the children
happen to be 'foreign.' Like this cartoon, Seuss's children's stories state that it did matter and it does matter."
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
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"A Toast to Next Thanksgiving: Here's hoping we're not the bird!" PM (November 20, 1941)
Even the Cat in the Hat's famous red-and-white-striped hat has a political predecessor in the top hat Uncle Sam
wears in Dr. Seuss's wartime cartoons. In his cartoons, the United States was symbolized as both the human
version and the bird version of Uncle Sam. Dressed in bow tie, striped pants, cutaway jacket and top hat, and
the bird version (a Seussian eagle) also dons the striped top hat with stars.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
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"What This Country Needs Is a Good Mental Insecticide" PM (June 11, 1942)
In the early 1940s Jim Crow laws remained upheld and racial segregation was prevalent in schools, sports,
labor, and the military. Many of Dr. Seuss's most powerful cartoons attacked race prejudice and anti-Semitism.
At the time, these topics were rarely discussed in the mainstream media, and were seen as highly controversial.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
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"Listen maestro...if you want to get real harmony, use the black keys as well as the white!" PM (June 29, 1942)
Two weeks prior to this cartoon’s publication, an estimated 18,000 African Americans gathered at Madison
Square Garden in New York City to hear A. Philip Randolph speak out against racial discrimination in the
military, war industries, government workforce, and labor unions. This cartoon underlines that the black labor
keys have not been used, and that "real harmony" in the war effort relies on using both the white and the black
keys.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
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"Waiting for the Signal from Home . . ." PM (February 13, 1942)
Dr. Seuss¹s portrayal of the Japanese and Japanese Americans was not unlike other racist portrayals in the
media during the Pacific War. This cartoon was drawn just days before the Roosevelt administration decided to
put all Japanese Americans living on the West Coast into internment camps. This offensive cartoon pointed to
the Japanese Americans as saboteurs for which there was no proof. Neither PM nor Seuss ever spoke out
against the American concentration camps and there were no letters to the editor protesting this cartoon.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
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"What Have You Done Today To Help Save Your Country From Them?" PM (March 5, 1942)
Some consider Seuss's most powerful editorial cartoons those that juxtapose Japan and Hitler. The figure in this
cartoon has "YOU" inscribed on his back, as Seuss asks the reader to get involved, a theme which he repeats in
his post-war books. Whether it is saving the environment from pollution today, or saving the United States from
Fascism in the 1940s, Dr. Seuss's message is clear: "YOU" can make a difference.
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It's not.
--The Lorax
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
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"Wipe That Sneer Off His Face Buy War Savings Bonds & Stamps" PM and others (October 13, 1942)
Supporting the war bonds effort, Dr. Seuss drew a set of Liberty bonds "cartoons" which appeared in many
newspapers. Sold by the United States government, the bonds raised money for the war and helped the public
feel they were doing their part.
In Dr. Seuss Goes to War, historian Richard H. Minear, writes: ". . . it is a surprise that a person who denounces
anti-black racism and anti-Semitism so eloquently can be oblivious of his own racist treatment of Japanese and
Japanese Americans . . . to realize that the cartoonist is the same Dr. Seuss we celebrate today for his
imagination and tolerance and breadth of vision: this is a sobering experience."
Source: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
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Introduction
Ajax Cups
Daggett &
Ramsdell
Before Theodore Seuss Geisel found fame as a children's book author, the primary outlet for
his creative efforts was magazines. His first steady job after he left Oxford was as a
cartoonist for Judge, a New York City publication. In 1927 one of these cartoons opened the
way to a more profitable career, as well as greater public exposure, as an advertising
illustrator. This fortuitous cartoon depicts a medieval knight in his bed, facing a dragon who
had invaded his room, and lamenting, "Darn it all, another dragon. And just after I'd sprayed
the whole castle with Flit" (a well-known brand of bug spray).
Flit
Ford
General Electric
Gilbert & Barker
Holly Sugar
L.P.P.Co.
Macy
Westchester
NBC
New Departure
Schaefer
Snyder & Black
Standard Oil
Stromburg
Carlson
According to an anecdote in Judith and Neil Morgan's book Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel
(Random House, 1995), the wife of the ad executive who handled the Standard Oil
company's account saw the cartoon. At her urging, her husband hired the artist, thereby
inaugurating a 17-year campaign of ads whose recurring plea, "Quick, Henry, the Flit!,"
became a common catchphrase. These ads, along with those for several other companies,
supported the Geisels throughout the Great Depression and the nascent period of his writing
career.
The Dr. Seuss Collection, housed at the Mandeville Special Collections Library at the
University of California, San Diego, contains many examples of Dr. Seuss's advertising
artwork. The library has scanned a selection of these advertisements for greater access.
Besides promoting the Standard Oil companies Flit and Esso, Dr. Seuss's creations have
hawked such diverse goods as ball bearings, radio promotional spots, beer, and sugar.
Warren
Telechron
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Source: http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dsads/index.shtml
Source: http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dsads/index.shtml
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Educational Multimedia
Educational multimedia projects combine students' or educators' original material (such as course notes or
commentary) together with copyrighted media formants (such as motion media, music, text, graphics,
illustrations, photographs, and digital software) into an integrated presentation . . . educators may incorporate
portions of lawfully acquired copyrighted works (obtained through lawful means such as purchase, gift, or
license) into educational multimedia projects for curriculum-based instruction at educational institutions, and
students may do so when producing their own educational multimedia projects for a specific course, subject to
certain restrictions.
Permitted Uses
Educators also may perform or display the projects in presentations to peers at workshops and conferences.
Students may perform or display their educational multimedia projects for educational uses in the course for
which they were created, and may use them in their portfolios as examples of their academic work.
Time Limits
Educators may use their educational multimedia projects for teaching courses, for a period of up to two years
after the first instructional use with a class. Thereafter, permission is required for each copyrighted portion
incorporated in the project. Student’s use of their own project is limited to the course for which it was created
and to later portfolio use.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/copyright/copyright_ed_multi.shtm
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The Politcal Dr. Suess. (PBS website) http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/seuss_fla.html
Seussville @ http://www.seussville.com/
Browse the books catalog, find out about upcoming “Seussian” events, make your own interactive stories, play
games, and more at this official Dr. Seuss site.
Dr. Seuss Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel @
http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/
By Richard H. Minear (New Press, 2001)
History professor Richard Minear examines and contextualizes more than 200 of Dr. Seuss’s editorial and
political cartoons, most of which are printed here for the first time since their original publication.
Dr. Seuss Went to War @ http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/
The Dr. Seuss catalog from the Mandeville Special Collections Library at the University of California, San
Diego, contains original drawings and newspaper clippings of more than 200 of Seuss’s cartoons from 1941 to
1943. Browse the extensive online catalog by date or subject.
The Political Dr. Seuss @ http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/1aa/1aa291.htm
Based on the book Dr. Seuss Goes to War, this 2000 Springfield Museum exhibit featured a selection of Seuss’s
little-known World War II-era political cartoons. Read more about the exhibit and see sample images here.
The Advertising Artwork of Dr. Seuss @ http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dsads/index.shtml
View scanned selections from Dr. Seuss’s colorful advertising career, hawking products from oil and ball
bearings to beer and sugar. Also part of UCSD’s Dr. Seuss Collection.
NPR: Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Dr. Seuss @
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1668915
Hear biographer Philip Nel discuss Dr. Seuss’s contribution to children’s literature and American culture on
NPR’s Talk of the Nation. Check out the Related NPR Stories section to find commentary on Seuss’s political
cartoons, books, and characters, including audio clips of Kirk Douglas reading an excerpt of Seuss’s work.
Who’s Who and What’s What in the Books of Dr. Seuss @ http://www.dartmouth.edu/~drseuss/
Dartmouth College published this 157-page limited edition, a “finding-aid reflective of all the contents of all of
the Dr. Seuss volumes” to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of his graduation from the school. Get
the lowdown on characters from Aunt Annie’s Alligator to Zizzy Zozzfozzel. (Available as a PDF download.)
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7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
53
About the Newspaper PM @ http://www.ksu.edu/english/nelp/purple/miscellaneous/pm.html
Learn more about the 1940s New York newspaper for which Dr. Seuss regularly contributed political cartoons.
Images from PM @ http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/Frame.htm
Dr. Seuss .WAV Files @ http://www.afn.org/~afn15301/seussfiles/wavs.html
Seuss store: The Cat-alog @ http://www.nea.org/readacross/catalog.html
Which Dr. Seuss character are you? @
http://quizilla.com/users/amishlurker/quizzes/Which%20Dr.%20Seuss%20character%20are%20you%3F/
Cat in the Hat on Trial @ http://www.artidea.org/index.cgi/509
Dr. Seuss (1904-1991) @ http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/famous/seuss/
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
54
Dr. Seuss: American Icon. By Philip Nel. (Continuum, 2004). This Seuss biography gives a grown-up’s
perspective on the children’s author and includes a comprehensive bibliography.
Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel. By Judith and Neil Morgan. (DaCapo Press, 1995). California journalists Judith
and Neil Morgan—longtime friends of Dr. Seuss interviewed in THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS—include
plenty of facts and anecdotes in this authorized biography.
Horton Hears A Who! By Dr. Seuss. (Random House, 1954, renewed 1982).
Oh, the Places He Went: A Story About Dr. Seuss. By Maryann N. Weidt. (Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1994).
A straightforward overview of Theodor Geisel’s life and work that is informative for readers of all ages.
On The Loose With Dr. Seuss. By Shirley Cook. (Incentive Publications, 1994). For elementary grades but
useable activities for middle school.
Teaching With Favorite Dr. Seuss Books. By Joan Novelli. (Scholastic, 2003). For grades PreK to 2.
The Butter Battle Book. By Dr. Seuss. (Random House, 1984).
The Cat In The Hat. By Dr. Seuss. (Random House, 1957, renewed 1985).
The Lorax. By Dr. Seuss. (Random House, 1971).
The Sneetches And Other Stories. By Dr. Seuss. (Random House, 1950, 1951, 1958, renewed 1977, 1979,
1986).
The Seuss, The Whole Seuss, And Nothing But The Seuss: A Visual Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel. By
Charles D. Cohen. (Random House, 2004). This “Seussentennial” publication contains more than 700 images
of Geisel’s work, many of which have never been published before.
Your Favorite Seuss: A baker’s dozen by the one and only Dr. Seuss. By Dr. Seuss. (Random House, 2004).
Compiled by Janet Schulman and Cathy Goldsmith.
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
55
State Superintendent’s
7th Annual Alternative Education Summer Institute
June 20-21, 2005
Kelly Curtright, Director Social Studies Education
[email protected]
56