Dr. Seuss

Dr. Suess is probably one of the most famous, well-known and valued children's authors. I read these books as a child, and read them to my own children and students to this day. These books are books that can be read over and over and never get boring. Many of them have been turned into feature films, cartoons, and/or tv shows. One of his more controversial books is The Lorax, which was written in 1971. The story's plot grows around the Lorax who defends and speaks for all of nature's environmental gifts, particularly the trees. The "Once-ler" is a representation of the booming industry and the story builds around the impact the industry has had and will continue to have on the environment. In 1988 it became controversial, and a school in California continued to keep the book in the schools for the children, although some of the community disagreed. Since, it's been turned into a tv made musical, although later the parts that referenced The Lorax were basically removed.

There have been other controversial children's books written since this book. Books such as Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate by Alyson Wonderland, and even To Kill a Mockingbird have been criticized due to the nature of the storyline and/or the situations involved. Anything that strays from the "normal" as the majority sees it, seems to be controversial anymore.

Most of Dr. Seuss' books appear to be nonsense, so to speak...However, the nonsense appears to make sense in a cynical kind of way. They all have a message deep within the story and the nonsense doesn't appear to be nonsense after all. For example, And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell is a story about two penguins who hatch a baby chick and raise it as their own. Although it appears to depict similarities between parents raising children who are different than they are (race, ethnicity, heritage, etc.), children still love the story and are intrigued by it. It actually teaches a good lesson in accepting others regardless of the differences...

To this day I LOVE Dr. Seuss books and will continue to read them to my children, my students, and probably my grandchildren. They just don't get better than his books!!! :o)