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Gerald McBoing Boing
"Just suppose," said Ted "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, "there was a little kid who didn't speak words but only weird sounds?" Thus Gerald McBoing Boing was born, brought to life by a studio called United Productions of America as an animated cartoon. This delightful, rhyming story went on to win an Academy Award in 1951, and was briefly made available as a book at the time of the movie's release. And now it's back!
When Gerald McCloy turns two, he doesn't start talking like most children--he says "Boing boing!" instead. His George Jetson-style father, turning gray, rushes to call Doctor Malone, who decrees there is no cure. In time, Gerald only increases in volume, shouting "Boom!" like a big keg of exploding powder. School is no help, either. He cuckoos and honks in the classroom, "And as little Gerald/ grew older, he found/ When a fellow goes BAM!/ no one wants him around."
Outcast, forlorn, he runs away from home. But just as he is about to board a slow-moving freight, the owner of the BONG-BONG-BONG radio station accosts him by the tracks. "I need a smart fellow/ to make all the sounds,/ Who can bark like a dog/ and bay like the hounds!/ You're GONG is terrific,/ your toot is inspired!/ Quick come to BONG-BONG-BONG,/ McBoing Boing--you're hired!"
This fun and funny picture book--soaked in muted Fiestaware colors--lilts and bounces and boings like a good read-aloud should. Children will discover that sometimes it's our quirks that end up making us special. (Ages 3 and older) --Karin Snelson
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1952
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
April 13, 2024
BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING! - that's 5 BOINGS! - a great book! I really have found a new interest in the Dr. Seuss library, it holds so many good memories for me, I am trying to pass that enjoyment down to the children of several friends of mine. Would love to see new takes on the good doctors works: like a Neil Gaiman 'version' of a story. Think that would be really fun and interesting if done the right way!
March 21, 2013
~Great introduction to onomatopoeia. Gerald makes the sounds around him instead of talking.
~Introduction to a movie, video, video game, radio show, etc. unit....Gerald becomes a Foley artist. Students could learn about making movies and produce their own!
~Inspirational for those students who have communication disorders, or don't fit in, ESOL or students with disabilities. Everyone has a purpose and a place.
~Acceptance, community, lifting each other up, etc.
~Introduction to a movie, video, video game, radio show, etc. unit....Gerald becomes a Foley artist. Students could learn about making movies and produce their own!
~Inspirational for those students who have communication disorders, or don't fit in, ESOL or students with disabilities. Everyone has a purpose and a place.
~Acceptance, community, lifting each other up, etc.
February 2, 2008
I own every Gerald McBoing Boing cartoon on DVD and I’m a big Dr. Seuss fan. I even have the standee for the Cat in the Hat’s 50th Anniversary of publication and have the Private Snafu videos, so I’m dedicated. When I saw the book version of the first Gerald McBoing Boing cartoon I couldn’t buy it fast enough.
Kids will love the story of the little boy who only spoke in sound effects, but grown-ups will love the jazzy artwork that was so in style for mid-century cartoons. I always look at the artwork in this book when I want to be cheered up. And there’s something cute about a little boy who makes machine gun blasts and plane crash noises when he cries.
Kids will love the story of the little boy who only spoke in sound effects, but grown-ups will love the jazzy artwork that was so in style for mid-century cartoons. I always look at the artwork in this book when I want to be cheered up. And there’s something cute about a little boy who makes machine gun blasts and plane crash noises when he cries.
March 13, 2018
His parents & friends were awful to him until one day he became rich & famous and they loved him...really?? That’s horrible! I guess if I looked really hard, I might see how everyone has a purpose? I can’t believe they made it into a movie...
May 28, 2017
Classic!
September 7, 2020
" Poor Gerald decided that he had no place.
At home, in the school in the Whole human race! "
At home, in the school in the Whole human race! "
Read
June 7, 2020Loved this one! You can’t go wrong with Dr. Seuss!
May 20, 2017
Readers can clearly see the influence of cinematography in this classic picture book by Dr. Seuss. I actually like the colorful images far more than I do some of Seuss's more whimsical artistic work. The story centers on a young boy named Gerald who never utters words but spouts out onomatopoeia throughout the day. This might not have presented a problem, but his parents don't understand him, and his classmates belittle him. So miserable is Gerald that he runs away from home. But before he has gone very far, his fate is sealed by the intercession of the owner of a radio station who needs a sound artist just like Gerald. Fame, fortune, and, most of all, acceptance for his unique vocal stylings come Gerald's way. The lesson urging being true to yourself despite what others may say cannot be missed. This one is also fun to read aloud, and listeners will enjoy trying to emulate Gerald's sounds.
March 18, 2021
#32 of 2021
May 5, 2022
This was fun! I had never read it before. Now I need to try and find the video of it.
November 9, 2019
When a few words meant for one so young end up meaning so much more to us adults who have yet to understand the brilliance of being different.
April 27, 2020
I had to listen to somebody reading this on my computer for school. We are talking about sound effects in theater class. I like Dr. Seuss books.
August 9, 2022
3 stars & 3/10 hearts. Well, this was a fun and cute little read. ;) I loved how Gerald found his place in the world in spite of his difficulty!
April 1, 2015
Gerald McCloy doesn't speak regular words. Instead he mimics sounds he hears. His exasperated father sends him to school to learn how to speak. But the teacher sends him home calling him hopeless. Gerald soon learns that the other children do not want to play with him because of his sounds. His parents are frustrated and angry with him. So Gerald runs away. But then he is found by the owner of a radio station who wants Gerald to come and use his sounds on the radio. Gerald becomes famous, his parents are proud and everyone loves him.
The vintage illustrations are very colorful, clear and nicely detailed.
I have very mixed feelings about this story. On one hand, it is very typical of the stories I grew up with in the 70s where everything wasn't all peaches and roses. There was no Barney telling you how much you were loved. It was more a case of, "This is how it is kid. Get used to it." I do not like the rejection of the parents who then do a 180 when Gerald becomes famous. I do not like the teacher calling Gerald hopeless. Nowhere do the people who matter most tell Gerald that it is okay to be different. But again, those were the times. On the other hand, this is an extremely creative story especially for the time period and I remember watching the cartoon version of it.
So parents, this is one of those stories you will have to decide for yourself whether it is something you want to read to your child to show them how differences are okay or whether you would rather give it a pass. It could go either way depending on your child's age and personality. I would not recommend it for the youngest children who would not understand the mature concepts.
The vintage illustrations are very colorful, clear and nicely detailed.
I have very mixed feelings about this story. On one hand, it is very typical of the stories I grew up with in the 70s where everything wasn't all peaches and roses. There was no Barney telling you how much you were loved. It was more a case of, "This is how it is kid. Get used to it." I do not like the rejection of the parents who then do a 180 when Gerald becomes famous. I do not like the teacher calling Gerald hopeless. Nowhere do the people who matter most tell Gerald that it is okay to be different. But again, those were the times. On the other hand, this is an extremely creative story especially for the time period and I remember watching the cartoon version of it.
So parents, this is one of those stories you will have to decide for yourself whether it is something you want to read to your child to show them how differences are okay or whether you would rather give it a pass. It could go either way depending on your child's age and personality. I would not recommend it for the youngest children who would not understand the mature concepts.
September 30, 2009
This book has a great theme—and I had actually never heard of it, even though it’s by a really famous author! This book is simply about a little boy who can’t talk, but instead makes noises like “boing boing!” or “clang clang clang!” His parents are very worried about him, have a doctor look at him but he doesn’t help him. So their next step is to send him to school; once he goes to school, people do nothing but tease him and make fun of him. His teacher doesn’t even accept him! He finally gets tired of it and decides to run away; as soon as he does though, and he’s fixing to jump on the train to go, he hears a voice calling him. A man from the Bong-bong-bong radio station finds him and gives him a job. He needs someone who can make all those noises and Gerald is the perfect one! He then becomes famous and was known all over the world and his parents were very proud of him.
I liked this book simply because it teaches kids that they will always have a place in this world somehow. Gerald seemed to be the craziest kid around and he still had a place and a job to do. That’s how everyone is and I think that all kids need to be taught that! I liked the illustrations—they are kind of vintage looking, because of when the book was written and published, and I think that’s really a cool aspect…it looks different from all other books. Thematically, it could be used when talking about being proud of yourself or sounds that people and/or things make. It could be encouraging!
January 14, 2024
Gerald is a boy who doesn't say words. He says sounds instead! "Boing boing, Boom, Cuckoo and Clop-Clop, Bang!" just to name a few. At first his noises make people angry and scared. No one wants to be around this strange little boy. All that changes when the owner of a radio station tells Gerald how wonderful his sounds are and hires him. Now everyone sees his noises as talent instead of an abnormality.
•
This book is about recognizing the things that are unique to you as strengths. Gerald was different than other people and for a while he felt lonely and odd because of his speech. He didn't feel he belonged. Fortunately someone saw things differently and showed not only Gerald, but the whole world how wonderful he truly is.
•
This would be a terrific read-aloud because of the sounds Gerald makes! I absolutely love the vintage illustrations! The text is is rhyme (obviously because it's Dr. Seuss!) and every sound Gerald makes is a different color and font so they stand out. A delightful story!
•
This book is about recognizing the things that are unique to you as strengths. Gerald was different than other people and for a while he felt lonely and odd because of his speech. He didn't feel he belonged. Fortunately someone saw things differently and showed not only Gerald, but the whole world how wonderful he truly is.
•
This would be a terrific read-aloud because of the sounds Gerald makes! I absolutely love the vintage illustrations! The text is is rhyme (obviously because it's Dr. Seuss!) and every sound Gerald makes is a different color and font so they stand out. A delightful story!
January 22, 2016
I just finished Gerald Mc Boing Boing by Dr. Seuss and just like all of Seuss's books loved it. It is about Gerald who doesn't speak words but sounds instead. His parents don't know what to do with him and neither does the dr. They send him to school and his first grade teacher is at a loss too. After Gerald has no friends and feels like he has no place in the world he runs away. After a series of events he finally finds just where he belongs.
I really enjoyed this book. The rhymes were perfect and the illustrations went along with them well. It was a cute story with a feel good ending. I liked that Gerald's unique speech made him stick out at first and then he was able to use it. Every kid as unique qualities and it is hard for them to like them when kids all want to be the same and fit together but later on you learn that these qualities that set you apart are good. This book does a great job of showing that.
I really enjoyed this book. The rhymes were perfect and the illustrations went along with them well. It was a cute story with a feel good ending. I liked that Gerald's unique speech made him stick out at first and then he was able to use it. Every kid as unique qualities and it is hard for them to like them when kids all want to be the same and fit together but later on you learn that these qualities that set you apart are good. This book does a great job of showing that.
March 12, 2009
Author and Illustrator: Dr. Seuss
Genre: Fiction Picture Book
Year Published: 1950
Reading Level: Ages 4-8; Early
Topic and Theme: Being Different, Young Boy
Curricular Use: Read Aloud, Individual Reading, Shared Reading
Social: Teasing, Rejected
Literary Elements: Onomatopoeia
Text and Pictures: Funny and clear pictures with a great message
Summary: Gerald McCloy could not speak like a normal child. Every time he talked, the only words that came out of his mouth were Boing Boing. Gerald felt unwanted, so he went out on his own, and found a job on a radio station, making various sounds for the radio. He became very popular and rich.
Genre: Fiction Picture Book
Year Published: 1950
Reading Level: Ages 4-8; Early
Topic and Theme: Being Different, Young Boy
Curricular Use: Read Aloud, Individual Reading, Shared Reading
Social: Teasing, Rejected
Literary Elements: Onomatopoeia
Text and Pictures: Funny and clear pictures with a great message
Summary: Gerald McCloy could not speak like a normal child. Every time he talked, the only words that came out of his mouth were Boing Boing. Gerald felt unwanted, so he went out on his own, and found a job on a radio station, making various sounds for the radio. He became very popular and rich.
October 3, 2015
I did not see the appeal in this book. Gerald only speaks in sound effects, no words. His parents call the doctor who cant help him, then send him off to school to get him fixed, and school sends him right back. He has no friends, everyone makes fun of him, his parents are not nice to him and he eventually runs away. It is after he runs away, a man discovers him and his talent and puts him to work in radio. Then after Gerald is rich and famous, he has a ton of friends and his parents are proud of him. I would not read this to my daughter or have it in my classroom library.
April 18, 2008
I can't help but love this book even though I think, in stark contrast to most of the rest of Seuss's work, it misses the thematic relevance at the end. It's sad to me to see that young Gerald's parents/friends/etc. are unwilling to accept him until he's acheived his success. But I still have to give it 5 stars because I loved doing the voices of the Dr., Miss Schiltz, and especially the studio exec at Bong-Bong-Bong when I read it to my boys.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2008
OK, so maybe it's only 4 stars, but when your just-about-to-turn-2-year-old starts walking around saying "boing boing" after you read her the book, it's definitely 5 stars!
Somehow, probably because I'm so young!, I'd never heard of this Dr. Seuss book. Apparently there is an Oscar-winning movie of the same name. We'll need to get that from Netflix, post haste!
Somehow, probably because I'm so young!, I'd never heard of this Dr. Seuss book. Apparently there is an Oscar-winning movie of the same name. We'll need to get that from Netflix, post haste!
April 19, 2015
Great artwork and clever, funny rhymes. I didn't care for the message until I read a short biography about Dr. Seuss. It just occurred to me that Dr. Seuss is Gerald McBoing Boing! He was rejected at home and at school for being different (always doodling and such) and then he gained fame by finally pursuing a career with what was always told to be his weakness. Interesting!
January 30, 2016
A little boy finds himself the outsider in school, home, and life because he makes sound effects instead of talking . He's about ready to hit the rails when the owner of a radio stations recruits him to work on his shows and Gerald's life comes up roses.
Nice, but not typical Dr. Seuss, illustrations.
Nice, but not typical Dr. Seuss, illustrations.
January 13, 2011
My kids loved this book about a boy who communicates only through sound effect type noises. We watched the 7 minute short that the book was based on too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNsyQD...
And Gerald's parents are jerks. Just sayin'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNsyQD...
And Gerald's parents are jerks. Just sayin'.
March 3, 2013
Fantastic book for kids! So imaginative and creative. Easy read that children will find delightful!
Dr. Seuss is always brilliant! His stories and rhymes are fun and entertaining! Some of my all time favorites!! Such a great way to entertain children and get them interested in reading!
Dr. Seuss is always brilliant! His stories and rhymes are fun and entertaining! Some of my all time favorites!! Such a great way to entertain children and get them interested in reading!
September 15, 2015
"Boing Boing!!" Wait... What?
"Shriek... Clap Clap..."
Sorry had to get that out XP Cute book(:
"Shriek... Clap Clap..."
Sorry had to get that out XP Cute book(:
January 15, 2017
Picked this up for a story telling session for pre schoolers. I like the fact it has lot of scope of "sounds" in the story to keep the kids entertained and engaged.
December 27, 2025
I'm reading through all of Dr. Seuss's books chronologically, and this is his tenth one. It's also his first ever that he didn't illustrate himself. It's also different from his previous books in other fun ways, as it's his first and only book that was adapted from a preexisting film.
So what's apparently happening here in 1950 is that Seuss is branching out into other media. He'd always worked in illustration and cartooning, of course, but during World War II he also branched out into scripted and documentary film work, including writing the Private Snafu cartoons and other training films for the Army and the First Motion Picture Unit of the Air Force. He also wrote the story for Design for Death, a documentary on Japanese culture that won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. So he had the film bug and must have been looking for opportunities to keep working in that industry; for instance, he was most likely already working on his only live-action feature film, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, which would come out in 1953.
At the same time he returned not just to writing children's books—his postwar books include McElligot's Pool (1947), Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose (1949), and If I Ran the Zoo (1950)—but he branched out into shorter stories, in his same style, in magazines. In 1950 he began a monthly column in Redbook magazine which lasted, as far as I can tell, at least through 1955. "Column" is a loose term here, because these were essentially Dr. Seuss's versions of short stories, with illustrations, many of which would later be compiled in books: "Yertle the Turtle," "Gertrude McFuzz," "The Sneetches," and others.
So with all of that going on it's no surprise that in 1950 he decided to branch into audio storytelling as well. After the war television began its gradual ascension, but in 1950 we're still perhaps at the zenith of radio's popularity as a narrative medium, with the likes of the Lone Ranger and Amos 'n' Andy. But rather than go on the radio itself Seuss struck a deal with Capitol Records to release a single audio story on vinyl records. And, of course, he truly made the medium his own. Gerald McBoing-Boing tells the story of an unfortunate little boy who makes sound effects instead of saying words. His teacher, classmates, and even family can't understand his moos and bangs, his crashes and whistles, so poor Gerald is cast out from society until a radio producer discovers him and makes him rich and famous as a sound effects man on live radio. It's obvious to see how this would have appealed to the Foley artists—if radio used that term—and producers in the radio biz, and we in the twenty-first century have to mentally place ourselves back then, when sound effects could be big business, to fully appreciate the story.
I don't know anything about the financial success of Gerald's LP version, but I do know that it quickly turned into Seuss's greatest original film project. I'd even daresay it's his second-best film project of his entire life, only being bested by Chuck Jones's adaptation of the Grinch in 1966. Gerald McBoing-Boing is a close second, though, and is much more important in the history of animation. The new animation studio United Pictures of America, or UPA, adapted it as a film, using Seuss's original text with their own sound effects, and it won the 1950 Academy Award for Best Animated Short. As I remember from my History of Animation class twenty years ago where I first saw this film, it was UPA's breakthrough against the established studios like Warner Bros. and Disney, and it had a tremendous effect throughout the animation industry with their modernist and minimalist designs. UPA's look revolutionized the aesthetics of Warner Bros. in particular, but its influence reached all the way through Disney to The Flintstones to Sesame Street. Just look at Maurice Noble's backgrounds in WB films like Hairway to the Stars and What's Opera, Doc? compared to earlier films to see how UPA revolutionized their design.
Anyway, back to books, the film won an Oscar and soon Seuss's publisher Random House was executing a book version of it, the story's third incarnation. It used Seuss's same text, with some variations, and large colorful fonts for the now-imagined sounds. This came out in 1952, so two years after the film, a period in which Seuss had stopped writing books entirely and was instead busy with his next film project The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. This was a fantasy musical for which he wrote the screenplay and song lyrics, moving from La Jolla to Los Angeles to be involved with the filming. It unfortunately was a financial failure upon it release in 1953, a disappointing result that turned Seuss off of feature films and back to traditional picture books for the rest of his career, with the exception of course of films based on his books. And speaking of 1950s films, UPA went on to make several Gerald McBoing-Boing films, making him their second biggest star next to Mr. Magoo, though Seuss wasn't involved with any of those to my knowledge.
As far as the story itself goes, modern readers can complain about how fickle Gerald's family is, abandoning him because he doesn't fit in—although we should point out that they're troubled but don't abandon him; he runs away himself. But the deeper theme, the more important one, is about staying true to yourself. By this point in his career, childless though he was, Seuss understood children, and this story speaks to their desire to be accepted. Gerald McBoing-Boing is ostracized just because of who he is, something every child has felt, and this book/film gives children the aspirational belief that they'll get through that and ultimately be accepted for who they are. That moral isn't too far away from Seuss's two most recent narrative protagonists, Thidwick the moose and Horton the elephant, who both kept their word and stayed true to their principles despite the resistance and disdain of everyone around them, even at the threat of their very lives. Gerald's stakes don't rise that high, but for a young reader running away from home is a pretty formidable act; Gerald can't articulate himself like Horton, obviously, but he too is risking everything to be who he is. This story is a lot more terse—a far shorter word count—than those books, and it's really more angled towards adults with a wink and a nod, but kids and even adults will notice this theme and feel like the story is a validation of their attempts to stay true to who they believe they are.
For this reading I read the book along with the film, which was interesting: there were two long passages in the book—when Gerald decides to run away and when he tries to board the train—that Seuss wrote words to (probably for the vinyl record) which were cut out for the film. The directors—whose names I don't recognize, though I saw Bill Melendez in the credits, the man who went on to create all the exquisite Peanuts television specials—must have wanted to be more cinematic and convey these moments visually without the narration. That's fine—"show, don't tell" is the ultimate rule in film—but in this case, to be honest, Seuss is reaching his full potential as a writer, and it's too bad those lines were cut. There are a couple other rhyme changes that I'm less sure about the motivation for, but the book all in all still works just as well as the film.
Perhaps the biggest artistic issue here is the adaptation of an audio narrative that relies on the sound of honks, explosions, hoots, whistles, hooves, and doors into a written text. How is it a different experience for the auditor/viewer/reader? What it does in a picture book format, which is silent itself but is performed by a parent or caregiver, is to allow the reader, the grown up, to make the sounds themselves as they read this to a pre-literate youngster, or a literate child to have a go themselves. And yes that's completely different from watching the film, but it's perhaps even more endearing, providing the potential for personal connections and jokes between a grown-up and a child, akin to when all bedtime stories were improvised. I know I have a thousand times more fondness for my version of "The Three Little Pigs," for instance, which I used to say for my kids at bedtime, than I have for the Disney film. If children's media is at its best when it forges bonds among family members, then Gerald McBoing-Boing as a book is ideally positioned, because it provides so much space for play and interaction with the creation of the sounds.
That's one caveat for the ideal situation, but it probably doesn't always work so well in practice. So the book version of Gerald McBoing-Boing is probably always going to be inferior to the film—and the film is really, really excellent; everyone who reads the book should also watch it. But, yes, I like that the book does present a wonderful opportunity to parents of young children to integrate the book into their storytime and playtime and create their own unique version: what sound does Gerald make for a train, for a plane, a goose, a bomb, etc.? More than any book he'd created thus far, Seuss here, perhaps unwittingly, created a template for adult-child play and expression, which is a superb way to bond. I wish I'd known about the book version of this film when my kids were small, but I'll always have the Three Little Pigs to look back on.
My complete series of reviews of all sixty-three Dr. Seuss books in order—a list I believe only exists here—plus three of his many books published posthumously, is here. And here specifically are my reviews of his previous book, If I Ran the Zoo , and his next one, Scrambled Eggs Super . Or you can see my reviews starting from the beginning here!
So what's apparently happening here in 1950 is that Seuss is branching out into other media. He'd always worked in illustration and cartooning, of course, but during World War II he also branched out into scripted and documentary film work, including writing the Private Snafu cartoons and other training films for the Army and the First Motion Picture Unit of the Air Force. He also wrote the story for Design for Death, a documentary on Japanese culture that won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. So he had the film bug and must have been looking for opportunities to keep working in that industry; for instance, he was most likely already working on his only live-action feature film, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, which would come out in 1953.
At the same time he returned not just to writing children's books—his postwar books include McElligot's Pool (1947), Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose (1949), and If I Ran the Zoo (1950)—but he branched out into shorter stories, in his same style, in magazines. In 1950 he began a monthly column in Redbook magazine which lasted, as far as I can tell, at least through 1955. "Column" is a loose term here, because these were essentially Dr. Seuss's versions of short stories, with illustrations, many of which would later be compiled in books: "Yertle the Turtle," "Gertrude McFuzz," "The Sneetches," and others.
So with all of that going on it's no surprise that in 1950 he decided to branch into audio storytelling as well. After the war television began its gradual ascension, but in 1950 we're still perhaps at the zenith of radio's popularity as a narrative medium, with the likes of the Lone Ranger and Amos 'n' Andy. But rather than go on the radio itself Seuss struck a deal with Capitol Records to release a single audio story on vinyl records. And, of course, he truly made the medium his own. Gerald McBoing-Boing tells the story of an unfortunate little boy who makes sound effects instead of saying words. His teacher, classmates, and even family can't understand his moos and bangs, his crashes and whistles, so poor Gerald is cast out from society until a radio producer discovers him and makes him rich and famous as a sound effects man on live radio. It's obvious to see how this would have appealed to the Foley artists—if radio used that term—and producers in the radio biz, and we in the twenty-first century have to mentally place ourselves back then, when sound effects could be big business, to fully appreciate the story.
I don't know anything about the financial success of Gerald's LP version, but I do know that it quickly turned into Seuss's greatest original film project. I'd even daresay it's his second-best film project of his entire life, only being bested by Chuck Jones's adaptation of the Grinch in 1966. Gerald McBoing-Boing is a close second, though, and is much more important in the history of animation. The new animation studio United Pictures of America, or UPA, adapted it as a film, using Seuss's original text with their own sound effects, and it won the 1950 Academy Award for Best Animated Short. As I remember from my History of Animation class twenty years ago where I first saw this film, it was UPA's breakthrough against the established studios like Warner Bros. and Disney, and it had a tremendous effect throughout the animation industry with their modernist and minimalist designs. UPA's look revolutionized the aesthetics of Warner Bros. in particular, but its influence reached all the way through Disney to The Flintstones to Sesame Street. Just look at Maurice Noble's backgrounds in WB films like Hairway to the Stars and What's Opera, Doc? compared to earlier films to see how UPA revolutionized their design.
Anyway, back to books, the film won an Oscar and soon Seuss's publisher Random House was executing a book version of it, the story's third incarnation. It used Seuss's same text, with some variations, and large colorful fonts for the now-imagined sounds. This came out in 1952, so two years after the film, a period in which Seuss had stopped writing books entirely and was instead busy with his next film project The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. This was a fantasy musical for which he wrote the screenplay and song lyrics, moving from La Jolla to Los Angeles to be involved with the filming. It unfortunately was a financial failure upon it release in 1953, a disappointing result that turned Seuss off of feature films and back to traditional picture books for the rest of his career, with the exception of course of films based on his books. And speaking of 1950s films, UPA went on to make several Gerald McBoing-Boing films, making him their second biggest star next to Mr. Magoo, though Seuss wasn't involved with any of those to my knowledge.
As far as the story itself goes, modern readers can complain about how fickle Gerald's family is, abandoning him because he doesn't fit in—although we should point out that they're troubled but don't abandon him; he runs away himself. But the deeper theme, the more important one, is about staying true to yourself. By this point in his career, childless though he was, Seuss understood children, and this story speaks to their desire to be accepted. Gerald McBoing-Boing is ostracized just because of who he is, something every child has felt, and this book/film gives children the aspirational belief that they'll get through that and ultimately be accepted for who they are. That moral isn't too far away from Seuss's two most recent narrative protagonists, Thidwick the moose and Horton the elephant, who both kept their word and stayed true to their principles despite the resistance and disdain of everyone around them, even at the threat of their very lives. Gerald's stakes don't rise that high, but for a young reader running away from home is a pretty formidable act; Gerald can't articulate himself like Horton, obviously, but he too is risking everything to be who he is. This story is a lot more terse—a far shorter word count—than those books, and it's really more angled towards adults with a wink and a nod, but kids and even adults will notice this theme and feel like the story is a validation of their attempts to stay true to who they believe they are.
For this reading I read the book along with the film, which was interesting: there were two long passages in the book—when Gerald decides to run away and when he tries to board the train—that Seuss wrote words to (probably for the vinyl record) which were cut out for the film. The directors—whose names I don't recognize, though I saw Bill Melendez in the credits, the man who went on to create all the exquisite Peanuts television specials—must have wanted to be more cinematic and convey these moments visually without the narration. That's fine—"show, don't tell" is the ultimate rule in film—but in this case, to be honest, Seuss is reaching his full potential as a writer, and it's too bad those lines were cut. There are a couple other rhyme changes that I'm less sure about the motivation for, but the book all in all still works just as well as the film.
Perhaps the biggest artistic issue here is the adaptation of an audio narrative that relies on the sound of honks, explosions, hoots, whistles, hooves, and doors into a written text. How is it a different experience for the auditor/viewer/reader? What it does in a picture book format, which is silent itself but is performed by a parent or caregiver, is to allow the reader, the grown up, to make the sounds themselves as they read this to a pre-literate youngster, or a literate child to have a go themselves. And yes that's completely different from watching the film, but it's perhaps even more endearing, providing the potential for personal connections and jokes between a grown-up and a child, akin to when all bedtime stories were improvised. I know I have a thousand times more fondness for my version of "The Three Little Pigs," for instance, which I used to say for my kids at bedtime, than I have for the Disney film. If children's media is at its best when it forges bonds among family members, then Gerald McBoing-Boing as a book is ideally positioned, because it provides so much space for play and interaction with the creation of the sounds.
That's one caveat for the ideal situation, but it probably doesn't always work so well in practice. So the book version of Gerald McBoing-Boing is probably always going to be inferior to the film—and the film is really, really excellent; everyone who reads the book should also watch it. But, yes, I like that the book does present a wonderful opportunity to parents of young children to integrate the book into their storytime and playtime and create their own unique version: what sound does Gerald make for a train, for a plane, a goose, a bomb, etc.? More than any book he'd created thus far, Seuss here, perhaps unwittingly, created a template for adult-child play and expression, which is a superb way to bond. I wish I'd known about the book version of this film when my kids were small, but I'll always have the Three Little Pigs to look back on.
My complete series of reviews of all sixty-three Dr. Seuss books in order—a list I believe only exists here—plus three of his many books published posthumously, is here. And here specifically are my reviews of his previous book, If I Ran the Zoo , and his next one, Scrambled Eggs Super . Or you can see my reviews starting from the beginning here!
August 30, 2018
5 Loud BOINGS (a.k.a. 5/5 stars)
A cute story about a kid who cannot speak words, and is only able to make sounds instead. Also includes a great lesson on embracing ones uniqueness. Which btw is what I loved more than the story and the illustrations (which were really adorable too). Because I believe it's important that kids learn this as early in life as possible - that even though at times they might struggle to fit in with their peers, because of how different they are - every one is blessed with unique talents, and has their own special role in the grand scheme of things.
Recommended for Ages: 3-7 years
- Shantala (Book Blogger @Shanaya Tales)
A cute story about a kid who cannot speak words, and is only able to make sounds instead. Also includes a great lesson on embracing ones uniqueness. Which btw is what I loved more than the story and the illustrations (which were really adorable too). Because I believe it's important that kids learn this as early in life as possible - that even though at times they might struggle to fit in with their peers, because of how different they are - every one is blessed with unique talents, and has their own special role in the grand scheme of things.
Recommended for Ages: 3-7 years
- Shantala (Book Blogger @Shanaya Tales)
July 23, 2019
Three stars for the onomatopoeia: Apparently I had way too much fun with it when I read it out (very) loud.
The message? Not so much. Potentially a great role model, especially for pre-verbal children (and anyone who doesn't fit in/isn't accepted for who they are).
But being loved by the same people who used to reject you cos you're now rich and famous and have that be the ending of the book? Sign of the times it was written in, maybe, or perhaps - as another reviewer mentioned - a veiled autobiography of the author himself. A highly outdated message, however.
The message? Not so much. Potentially a great role model, especially for pre-verbal children (and anyone who doesn't fit in/isn't accepted for who they are).
But being loved by the same people who used to reject you cos you're now rich and famous and have that be the ending of the book? Sign of the times it was written in, maybe, or perhaps - as another reviewer mentioned - a veiled autobiography of the author himself. A highly outdated message, however.
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