The Cat in the Hat

Exploring the Work of  Dr. Seuss

Childhood according to Dr. Seuss, there is a "perpetual zig-zag between good sense and nonsense, between the anarchy of The Cat in the Hat and the selfless stoicism of Horton (who hatched and egg)."
A. Is there a contemporary book that has this tension presented in The Cat in the Hat?
Undoubtedly, the popular book No, David contains a similar tension.  This book too, is a simple book, but is intriquing in much the same way as The Cat in the Hat.  In No, David, rebellion is explored, but ultimately finds a bittersweet ending. 
B. Does this book still appeal to children and why?
A tendency toward anarchy or rebellion runs deep in all of us and much of civilization's struggle is in  restraining this natural impulse.  There will always be a conflict between order and goodness, and chaos and evil.  Children's books often are amazing at highlighting this truth. This is one reason why books such as these mentioned above resonate with most children and even adults.  There is no denying that acting in a nonsensical way can be fun for the moment, but the cost is often too high of price for the short moment of liberty. Just ask any child that throws their toys all over their bedroom and then has to begrudgingly pick them up later. Consequences are part of life and there is no escaping that reality, but exploring the possibility as Dr. Seuss does, makes his books unsettling and exciting all at the same time.   So, yes, this book absolutely appeals to children because the idea of complete freedom is intriquing at its core.  Also the fact that it contains a moral dilemma and rhyming text further makes this book interesting to all readers alike.

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

A. What makes The Lorax didactic?
The Lorax is very openly didactic because it moralizes throughout the last half of the book.  Dr. Seuss is using a clever story to teach the moral of ecology and conservation.  When the Lorax speaks for the trees, he is becoming the advocate of the voiceless, which is nature. The story has a double meaning.  On its face it is an entertaining story.  On the other hand it is much like a parable within a sermon.  This being said, I enjoyed the book quite a lot.   
B. Are there any didactic children's books today?  If not, why not?
Harry Potter contains some didactic elements in that good wins over evil.

Dark Emperor and other Poems of the Night

    Dark Emperor is a unique book with a collection of poems of the night.  The book received a 2011 Newbery Honor Award.  This unusual book contains a set of poems about animal life at night, known as nocturnal life.  Every few pages or so, there is information about different nocturnal animals that are fact oriented and designed to instruct the reader.  The poem "Welcome to the Night" opens the 12 poem book.  The author features nine different animals and even mushrooms that thrive at nightime.  The poems are eloquent and beautiful and at times philosophical.  Not only does the book contain beautiful poetry, but artwork that is majestic, dark, and bold. The interesting combination of nightime and poetry invites the reader to slow down, relax, and celebrate the wonder of the night, something that few poeple do in our fast paced world.  I believe that the combination of non-fiction elements with the artistic element of poetry gives makes this book more widely appealing. This book would be an excellent book to read to teach about nocturnal animals in science or poetry in language arts.  Judging poetry is very subjective, but I must say that it appeals to me and I think it would to most people, even children.  I can see why this book was a Newbery Honor Book. 

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

     Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is a collection of 22 short monologues which was first written to be performed as short plays.  The book was written by librarian and playwright, Laura Amy Schlitz.  This book won a Newbery Award in 2008.  Originally written as a way for students at Mrs. Schlitz's school to have an individual role in a school play, these monologues were compiled into a book.  The monologues are written in an 'old world' style since the setting of the book is a manor in Midieval England in the year 1255.  The short plays contains elements of humor, struggle and sorrow as much of Midieval life was about survival.  Many of the characters in this book are wretched, depraved, or are losing hope, but many characters are determined, resolute, and courageous. Each page reveals more and more of manor life and the helps the reader learn about the social hierarchy at that time.  Needless to say, Mideival living was never dull or boring, since fighting and struggling to live another day is never a dull task.  Life in this age was not fair to the majority of the populus.  Poverty was the norm.  Feudal Lords were the ones that had the wealth.  In this since, history shows us that greed, war, and survival is interesting. It is this revelation that the author hopes to convey, and she succeeds in my view.  I would recommend this book for a gifted class or middle school aged students, since the language will be a considerable barrier to most children.  

A Jar of Dreams

    The book A Jar of Dreams, by Yoshiko Uchida is an intriquing multicultural book that takes place in the hard times of the depression in California.  With Rinko's Papa struggling to make a living as a barber, this was a difficult time to be alive because work was hard to find.  However, being a second generation Japanese immigrant at this time did not make anything easier on eleven-year-old Rinko. Rinko's brother Cal wants to go to school to become an engineer, but he is unsure if he can do it because he is unsure someone will hire a Japanese boy.  Rinko wants badly to be a school teacher, but her mother is pessimistic about someone hiring a Japanese girl. Through the racial slurs of Rinko's classmates and the ridicule that she experiences primarily from the laundromat owner, Rinko begins to feel shame for her heritage. Later on Aunt Waka visited from Japan, and this was a turning point for the  family because it lifted Rinko and her familiy's mood. To make times harder, Rinko's mother who was running an at-home laundry mat, became wrapped up in violence that almost damaged the laundry operation.  All of this turmoil was made better by Aunt Waka who helped the family realize their talents and strong points.  Aunt Waka also goes on to help Rinko find out something about herself that she did not realize.  Before Aunt Waka left to go back home, Rinko realizes just how helpful her aunt has been to the family. Rinko's father finally stands up to the laundromat owner After this visit, Rinko's family is forever changed and has the hope of a bright future.  The heart of this story is how Aunt Waka helped the family reach for their dreams and begin to be proud of their unique heritage.  This warm, loving, story is a great read if you enjoy reading about family relationships or historical struggles.  I enjoy reading about both, so it goes without saying that I liked this book.  I recommend it as a read-aloud as I plan to read it to my class by the end of the year.

Other Books by Yoshiko Uchida

• Birthday Visitor
• The Bracelet
• Desert Exile
• Forever Christmas Tree
• Full Circle
• Journey Home

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Movie/Book Comparison)

   

   This classic book by Dr. Seuss is perhaps one of the greatest books of all time in my view. The complex nature of the Grinch makes it appealing.  Evil is presented, but good ultimately prevails in the end when the Grinch has a change of heart. This change is what makes this book so intriquing, because it recognizes that inside all of us is bad, but there still lies the potential for good as well. The movie follows along with the book in the major points of the plot, but Jim Carrey lets his natural humor and personality enrich the movie and make it more humorous.  The story is dark, but Carrey masterfully uses facial expressions, body contortion and great vocal delivery to lighten up the movie.  To me, Carrey is the perfect match for the Grinch.  He aptly uses and expands on Seuss' humor. The movie also develops the Grinch's personality quite a lot. More than this, in the movie the town mayor and the Who's have more of a detailed role. The movie adds many more scenes than the book, but I do not believe it harms the plot. When all of this is taken into account, I believe this movie will become a classic in the years to come.



Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Book/Movie Comparison)

     This book, by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett has been recently made into a movie.  In the book, the story is about a grandfather that tells his grandchildren about the town of Chewandswallow after a flying pancake incident one day.  In this far away town that is like most other small towns, various foods rain down from the sky and it provides the town with food.  The food rained down three times a day, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Residents would even watch the weather to see what the next day's meals they could expect.  Because of this, no grocery stores are needed.  This all was fine until there are dangerous floods of inedible foods and tornadoes which forced the townspeople to leave the town of floating bread.  In their new location they find that they have to learn how to live in a place where it does not rain food.  

    In the movie, the plot follows the same basic plot as the book, but there are some significant exceptions.  For example, in the movie there is the main character, Flint Lockwood, who thinks he is a genius. Flint tries to save his town from a food shortage when he creates a machine that will turn water into food. When his invention goes wrong it puts food into the atmosphere.  Next, it started to rain food and all kinds of problems started to happen. These are but a few of the differences between the movie and the book. The reality is that this movie is loosely based on the book and that the director major artistic license in changing the plot.  I did not particulary care for the movie, but the humor in the movie is desinged to appeal to children.  Overall, I believe the book to be quality literature, but the movie becomes a different story altogether.

Rosa

   Rosa, is a 2006 Caldecott Award winner as well as a Coretta Scott King Award winner and rightfully so.  As I read this book the other day, I was struck by how easy the book was to read considering it was a non-fiction book based on history.  The writing style was natural and in a logical order. The author did a great job at recreating the scene and I felt as if I was there during the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955.  The book briefly covers the highlights of Rosa Parks courageous stand for civil rights.  During this tumultuous time, Rosa was growing weary of segregation.  The recent Brown versus Board ruling gave her hope and strength to endure, but she did not stand on her own. Other women, men, and Dr. Martin Luther King became leaders in the movement, organizing the bus boycott in an effort of nonviolent resistance.  Rosa refused to give up her seat in the neutral section of the bus. Rosa’s stubborn resilience sparked the small movement that later went to the Supreme Court.  Over a year later, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of equal protection under the law.

     This book is similar to Martin’s Big Words in many ways, but I liked this book considerably more.  I enjoyed the back story of Rosa’s family life and career.  The pictures showed Rosa’s grace, resilience, and personality.  The tension of the bus standoff could also be felt in certain pictures. This is a great read for any student, but is most appropriate for students aged 7 – 11.