I am an enormous Dr. Seuss fan. I think he was an absolute genius, a forward thinking wordsmith with opinions that may have seemed revolutionary, but really were (are) timeless. In addition to his fantastic storytelling, Seuss is brilliant writer, too. He's a tight writer, which if you've ever tried your hand at writing then you know how difficult his is. Seuss never has a wasted or useless word on the paper. (I grow bored and annoyed with writers who take five pages to describe the color of a sunset). Seuss is poetic in every sense of the word, not just because of his magical rhyme, but because he makes every word count. I like that.
My favorite Seuss character is Horton and my all time favorite story is Horton Hatches the Egg. I read that story to my son when he was a little boy so often that he could recite along as I was reading.
“I meant what I said and I said what I meant—an elephant’s faithful 100%!”
I highly value the lesson Horton teaches little boys (and maybe big boys, too): be a man of your word because being loyal matters and in the end, it will pay off in a deeply meaningful way. Dr. Seuss, I believe, will always have universal appeal to children and adults alike. If you are a parent looking for guidance on what to teach your kid, and how to teach it, read Seuss to them.
Rent The Lorax or stream it and show it to any child in your life. Or watch it alone, but don’t miss it. I’m guessing that whether you agree or disagree with the storyline and its lesson, The Lorax will enchant you. The Lorax character is a representative of an environmental plight and he gives voice to the voiceless as he advocates for a universal cause in a non-violent way.
The Lorax is a fine example of the brilliance of Dr. Seuss' brillinace; Seuss delivers to us a not-so-happy message in a way that makes that lesson magical, logical, less painful and so very powerful. It’s a story about greed, social responsibility, redemption and most of all hope. The film, and Dr. Seuss, leaves the viewer with an understanding that bad decisions are made and bad things do result, but it’s never too late to do the right thing and the right thing matters. And seriously, who can argue with that?
Happy Superbowl Sunday! If you are buried in snow, like I am, snuggle up, forget about it and just enjoy the day.