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Horton Hatches the Egg
(Horton the Elephant)
by
The Dr. Seuss classic that first introduced Horton the Elephant celebrates its 80th anniversary! The new matte finish cover makes it a perfect gift!
Beloved by generations for his kindness and loyalty, Horton the Elephant is one of the most iconic and honorable characters in children's literature--as well as the star of two books and a short story by Dr. Seuss (Horton Hatch ...more
Beloved by generations for his kindness and loyalty, Horton the Elephant is one of the most iconic and honorable characters in children's literature--as well as the star of two books and a short story by Dr. Seuss (Horton Hatch ...more
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Hardcover, 64 pages
Published
October 12th 1940
by Random House Books for Young Readers
(first published 1940)
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Community Reviews
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Jul 24, 2016
Archit
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Archit by:
Pooja
Shelves:
ebooks

They say an elephant's word is the most trustworthy word in the world.
Horton, our gigantic animal, agrees to hatch the lazy bird's egg. Zany it might seem but he manages to prop himself up and come what may, does not leave the fort.
Not until the bird will return.
Only that the bird does not return until very long. Until it's too late and a new mutated being is born.
Dr. Seuss and his imaginations run at a berserk pace. ...more

Horton Hatches the Egg, Dr. Seuss
The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant, who is tricked into sitting on a bird's egg while its mother, Mayzie, takes a permanent vacation to Palm Beach. The book centers on Horton, a genial elephant, who is convinced by Mayzie, a lazy, irresponsible bird, to sit on her egg while she takes a short "break", which turns into her permanent relocation to Palm Beach. Horton Hatches the Egg is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the ...more
The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant, who is tricked into sitting on a bird's egg while its mother, Mayzie, takes a permanent vacation to Palm Beach. The book centers on Horton, a genial elephant, who is convinced by Mayzie, a lazy, irresponsible bird, to sit on her egg while she takes a short "break", which turns into her permanent relocation to Palm Beach. Horton Hatches the Egg is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the ...more
![[Shai] Bibliophage](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1517936499p2/11854153.jpg)
This is my favorite story of Dr. Seuss because it teaches young readers and reminds adults to be true to one's word. A very simple lesson to learn or to keep in mind, but the impact of not remembering is tremendous.
...more


Oct 24, 2016
Rachel Maniacup
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Rachel by:
Anne
Oooh! I love this book 100%! I love the writing and the rhyming, I love the picture graphics, I love the story,and I love how it gives you a moral lesson. And I sure am gonna read this over and over to my cute little boy!^^
Many thanks to Anne,who inspired me to read this and who is celebrating her birthday tomorrow( October 26)! HAPPY BIRTHDAY,my friend! Miss you,sweetie!^^
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In Horton Hatches the Egg, this lazy bird has got nothing to think about except how to plan and enjoy the vacations and holidays!

So she finds someone who can do hatching for her, and then our immense, mighty, kind and faithful elephant, Horton comes into picture and agrees to help her go on holidays, by sitting on her egg on the top of a tree.
He bears all the hateful comments and mockery of other animals. Hunters try to take him down the tree and all the other tormenting things happen to him.
Bu ...more

So she finds someone who can do hatching for her, and then our immense, mighty, kind and faithful elephant, Horton comes into picture and agrees to help her go on holidays, by sitting on her egg on the top of a tree.
He bears all the hateful comments and mockery of other animals. Hunters try to take him down the tree and all the other tormenting things happen to him.
Bu ...more

It's impossible for me to have a favorite Dr. Seuss book, but this one gives some stiff competition. Whenever I read it to my nursery school English classes, I ask the kids to whom the egg ultimately belongs right before the baby hatches. The younger kids in the class (2 to 3 years old) almost always say the egg belongs to the bird because eggs belong with birds. The older kids (4 to 5) say the egg belongs to the elephant because he took care of it. An interesting revelation as to how kids appro
...more

"Wow, What a cute poem
with intense meaning.
I loved it, I loved it.
Great to be reading." ...more
with intense meaning.
I loved it, I loved it.
Great to be reading." ...more

I am currently reading a lot of Dr. Seus books. They enjoyed this book.
"Everyone laughs when Horton the Elephant offers to sit on Mayzie bird's egg while she goes on holiday. Horton's kindness and faithfulness are sorely tested when he, and the egg, are kidnapped and sold to a circus - but his reward for being faithful is more wonderful than he could ever have dreamed!" ...more
"Everyone laughs when Horton the Elephant offers to sit on Mayzie bird's egg while she goes on holiday. Horton's kindness and faithfulness are sorely tested when he, and the egg, are kidnapped and sold to a circus - but his reward for being faithful is more wonderful than he could ever have dreamed!" ...more


"Horton Hatches the Egg" is one of Dr. Seuss' most memorable classics as it stars everyone's favorite elephant, Horton! This time, Horton has his hands full as he tries his best to take care of a lazy bird named Mayzie's egg while she goes off to take a vacation. Unfortunately, hunters come in the jungle and they got Horton trapped! Will Horton get out of this dangerous predicament and still protect Mayzie's egg? Read the story to find out!
Dr. Seuss had done a great job at both illustrating and ...more

Read to a classroom of first graders
The kids knew all about "Horton Hears a Who" but they didn't know "Horton Hatches the Egg". This is still one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. Maisy talks Horton the Elephant into sitting on her egg because it's just too much work. Of course, Maisy flies away and doesn't intend to come back. Meanwhile, Horton sits on her egg for 51 weeks because, "I meant what a said and I said what I meant, an elephant's faithful 100 percent". The kids love that no matter what ...more
The kids knew all about "Horton Hears a Who" but they didn't know "Horton Hatches the Egg". This is still one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. Maisy talks Horton the Elephant into sitting on her egg because it's just too much work. Of course, Maisy flies away and doesn't intend to come back. Meanwhile, Horton sits on her egg for 51 weeks because, "I meant what a said and I said what I meant, an elephant's faithful 100 percent". The kids love that no matter what ...more

Aug 28, 2007
Ginny Messina
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
all-time-faves,
kidlit
One of Dr Seuss's earliest books, and for me, his all-time best. I adore Horton! His determined goodness and those wonderful expressions on his dear face. I still read this several times a year and never fail to be pleased that things work out well for Horton in the end. And clearly Dr Seuss was ahead of his time; as it turns out, research into their lives in the wild reveals that elephants are indeed faithful (one hundred percent).
...more
...more

Cute and beautiful story that will teach the children to be a faithful person, just like Horton. Love it ♥

A childhood favorite. I'd forgotten, though the end, where Mayzie wants the hatchling back. Now I see that it's a great adoption metaphor as well as a lesson on keeping one's promises despite the courage and endurance sometimes necessary to do so.
Too bad the very ending is so unrealistic - the humans would be even more keen to keep Horton and the special hatchling back than they would to let them go back to their home. I have to take off almost half a star for that (even though I don't see any ...more
Too bad the very ending is so unrealistic - the humans would be even more keen to keep Horton and the special hatchling back than they would to let them go back to their home. I have to take off almost half a star for that (even though I don't see any ...more

Sep 11, 2011
Kara Roberts
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-book,
concept-book,
early-readers,
fiction,
animals,
light-humor,
poetry,
folklore,
fantasy
Poor Horton. Dr. Seuss's kindly elephant is persuaded to sit on an egg while its mother, the good-for-nothing bird lazy Maysie, takes a break. Little does Horton know that Maysie is setting off for a permanent vacation in Palm Springs. He waits, and waits, never leaving his precarious branch, even through a freezing winter and a spring that's punctuated by the insults of his friends. ("They taunted. They teased him. They yelled 'How Absurd! Old Horton the Elephant thinks he's a bird!'") Further
...more

How can one not like Dr Seuss?
In this typically zany tale, Horton the elephant agrees to look after lazy Mayzie's egg and once Horton has committed to a task, he sticks to it - come what may.
Once Mayzie has persuaded Horton to sit on the egg in the nest at the top of the tree, she departs for a holiday in Palm Beach where she is pictured soaking up the sun, having a wonderful rest and determined never to go back to her nest.
So that leaves Horton trying to overcome all obstacles, including some h ...more
In this typically zany tale, Horton the elephant agrees to look after lazy Mayzie's egg and once Horton has committed to a task, he sticks to it - come what may.
Once Mayzie has persuaded Horton to sit on the egg in the nest at the top of the tree, she departs for a holiday in Palm Beach where she is pictured soaking up the sun, having a wonderful rest and determined never to go back to her nest.
So that leaves Horton trying to overcome all obstacles, including some h ...more

This is an exciting book to capture a child’s imagination and is written by the great Dr. Seuss. I would recommend it for children aged 4-7 years as it would teach them in a fun way, the importance of keeping your word and looking out for people who are in need. Mayzie, a very lazy bird persuades Horton, an elephant, to sit on her egg to help her hatch it, while she takes a well earned rest . But what Horton doesn’t know is she is headed for a very long break to the Palm Springs. I loved the fac
...more

I love this book. It is an all time favorite for me. This book conveys the importance of integratiy if the face of adversity. This book shows that different isn't bad and despite the challenge of being or doing something that is outside the relms of what is expected that the result of doing this with integrity and dilligence should result in the new beginings of acceptance. It should be...It should be..... It should be like that....but it is classified as a children's story.
...more

Jan 10, 2016
Jason
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2016,
read-to-cass
A wonderful rhyming story featuring laziness, elephants in trees, hunters, a circus and some confusing genetics.
We liked this story, you really feel sorry for Horton, tricked into doing something that isn't natural for him, but he is an elephant and we all know elephants always keep their word. ...more
We liked this story, you really feel sorry for Horton, tricked into doing something that isn't natural for him, but he is an elephant and we all know elephants always keep their word. ...more

Sep 12, 2015
Cynda
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
humor,
fairytales-fables-plus
My mother read this to us. And I read it to my son. We love Sueas in y family.

On the eve of the 8th month since my father's death, my partner read this book aloud to our 12-week-old daughter. He didn't know this, perhaps, but I did. I remember every month and the day goes by very slowly.
I can still recite the intro to this book as I did with my dad when I was a kid. He would prompt me with the first line, and off I would go - "I'm tired and I'm bored, and I've got kinks in my legs!" We would do this until I thought I was too old, too cool, too annoyed by my father.
Now, I ...more
I can still recite the intro to this book as I did with my dad when I was a kid. He would prompt me with the first line, and off I would go - "I'm tired and I'm bored, and I've got kinks in my legs!" We would do this until I thought I was too old, too cool, too annoyed by my father.
Now, I ...more

love Horton

Aug 12, 2015
Matthew
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2015,
classics,
childrens-book,
fantasy,
favorites,
humor,
library-books,
books-to-movies,
animals,
dr-seuss
While reading this book I could have sworn that I read this book but could never find a memory of the book or even opening it until I realized that I saw the short film version created by Warner Bros. I loved watching that cartoon and now I realize that its based off from none other than Dr. Seuss.
This book receives all the stars it deserves because the storyline was adorable, the illustrations were on point, and the rhyming scheme was perfect. I believe Dr. Seuss is one of the best ways of intr ...more
This book receives all the stars it deserves because the storyline was adorable, the illustrations were on point, and the rhyming scheme was perfect. I believe Dr. Seuss is one of the best ways of intr ...more

Horton Hatches the Egg was the first Horton written by Dr. Seuss and won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958.
My Take
Horton Hatches the Egg was the first Horton written, and I can thoroughly understand why this is considered a classic. The rhythm of reading perked me up no end, and I adored the illustrations. Simple, spare, with lots of humor.
Aww, I love it! I'm finally getting to the source of those quotes I've been hearing all my life!
My Take
Horton Hatches the Egg was the first Horton written, and I can thoroughly understand why this is considered a classic. The rhythm of reading perked me up no end, and I adored the illustrations. Simple, spare, with lots of humor.
Aww, I love it! I'm finally getting to the source of those quotes I've been hearing all my life!
"I meant what I said...more
And I said what I meant…
An elephant's

As an adoptive mom, I found the charge that the birth-mother was lazy and greedy difficult to stomach. In this case Maysie completely abandoned the egg to someone with no idea if it was a good caregiver and then takes off. Not a good parent, but certainly NOT representative of all parents who place their kids for adoption. I could see my son's questions forming as we read it: why would she abandon her egg? Why couldn't she take care of the egg? (in his head: why couldn't my mom take care of me?
...more

This is a lovely book by Dr. Seuss.
Wanting to take a break, the lazy bird, Maysie convinces Horton to sit on her egg and wait for it to hatch. Unbeknown to Horton however, is that Maysie's 'break' consists of setting off for a permanent vacation in Palm Springs.
Horton waits and waits, sitting there through all sorts of weather. He is laughed at ("They taunted. They teased him. They yelled 'How Absurd! Old Horton the Elephant thinks he's a bird!'"), and is even shot at by hunters! Horton shows ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Seuss Lovers: Horton Hatches the Egg | 1 | 0 | Dec 06, 2012 06:38PM | |
MCC Children's Li...: I meant what I said, I said what I meant. An elephants faithful 100% ! | 1 | 1 | Mar 06, 2012 01:23AM | |
MCC Children's Li...: NY top 100 | 2 | 4 | Feb 10, 2012 08:48PM |
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born 2 March 1904 in Springfield, MA. He graduated Dartmouth College in 1925, and proceeded on to Oxford University with the intent of acquiring a doctorate in literature. At Oxford he met Helen Palmer, who he wed in 1927. He returned from Europe in 1927, and began working for a magazine called Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at the time, submitting both carto
...more
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