Dacia's review

Wow, you may want to try to get beyond the logistics of the imaginative realm and maybe see the humor in the juxtaposition of an elephant sitting on an egg in a little tree. Most kids i read this to tend to laugh at the absurdity of that minor detail in the book. Not to brow beat the topic, but the book is more about resposibility and following through with what you say you're going to do and enduring the trials of life while holding on to the hopes that your efforts will pay off in the end. The story for me is much like the story and book of Job in the bible. It also contrasts work and effort with the sloth and irresponsibility. If you dont see these values in this children's story hopefully your child will if given a chance to read it.

If what you're saying is that children should be allowed to read funny stories that teach responsibility, I agree! However, there is a level of silliness that my stomach just will not tolerate. I have to have some sort of "sense" to hang on to, or I just get annoyed.

I honestly don't UNDERSTAND how anyone likes Dr. Suess, but I know alot of people do. I think it's ridiculously silly, and that we shouldn't teach kids from nonsense words, but if you want to read it to your kids, that's fine. Heck, if you want to read it to MY kid (and he'll sit still for long enough) that's fine too. I just refuse to waste my time on it.

So, it's the elephant on the egg part you find so objectionably silly. Talking animals you'll give a pass, though, right?

Silliness is integral to young children's literature because it is integral to young children's lives.

As for nonsense words, there are very few in Horton. If I Ran the Zoo is another story.

Seuss captures children's imaginations and teaches them rhythm and meter in a natural way. The values are implanted subtly and are therefore more forcefully absorbed.

I simply don't agree. Even as a toddler just learning to read, I could never stand Dr. Suess. My brother couldn't either, so I'm not alone.

By the way, talking animals are FICTION - Elephants sitting on eggs is just ridiculous. Fiction generally can bend the rules of reality but follows its own set of logic. Abandoning logic alltogether seems like a very bad lesson to teach children, in my opinion.

Even if it's not, I still absolutely loath Dr. Suess books. They still get on my nerves as much as finger nails on a chalkboard - they just make my skin crawl. It isn't because I don't love to read, and it isn't because I'm against fun - but I do like things to make SENSE! There are so many other wonderful children's books available - I feel no loss leaving non-sense out of my son's library.