[.ca] The Lorax (ISBN 0394923375)

From Amazon.com:
When Dr. Seuss gets serious, you know it must be important. Published in 1971, and perhaps inspired by the "save our planet" mindset of the 1960s, The Lorax is an ecological warning that still rings true today amidst the dangers of clear-cutting, pollution, and disregard for the earth's environment. In The Lorax, we find what we've come to expect from the illustrious doctor: brilliantly whimsical rhymes, delightfully original creatures, and weirdly undulating illustrations. But here there is also something more--a powerful message that Seuss implores both adults and children to heed. Now, in this special gift box, Dr. Seuss's crotchety, tree-loving Lorax emerges as a hand puppet! "He's shortish. And oldish ... And brownish. And mossy ... And he spoke with a voice ... that was sharpish and bossy." Each butterscotch-colored eight-inch Lorax puppet--made of entirely unnatural plush polyester fiber--isn't your usual hand puppet: Little hands must grip the pillowy top fixed inside the head to make the puppet come to life, which limits his motion to nodding wistfully (as the Lorax is wont to do) and bobbing meaningfully. Each puppet comes with a perfect miniature facsimile edition of The Lorax all packaged in a sturdy, earth-friendly box made out of recyclable corrugated paper. Save the Truffula Trees, Swomee-Swans, Brown Bar-ba-loots, and Humming-Fishes!

Inspiring for a lifetime:
When I was in elementary school in the mid-1970s, probably around the age of 7 or 8, all the students in the school were assembled and shown the film of the Lorax. The film was very similar to the film of The Grinch that was made at about the same time and is now a video classic - - wonderful animation and great word-for-word narrative reading of the text. I had been unaware of the book before that. I remember very clearly being very moved and inspired by the tale, and I can trace part of my development as an environmentalist to it. I now work in environmental outreach/education, and every once in a while I get out the book of The Lorax and get re-inspired, especially by the line "UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." I still find the book very relevant to today. It's not extremist in any way. Even its depiction of the Once-ler is not as an evil man, but someone very recognizable. He doesn't mean harm, but "Business is business, and business must grow." Sound familiar? He doesn't recognize the damage he's causing, or understand just how painful and permanent it will be, until too late. This book reminds all of us to not take our beautiful world for granted, but to take responsibility for it.

Excellent for Teaching Environmentalism:
Other reviews state this is depressing or "bangs a kid over the head" too much. The cold hard facts are that all the trees are being cut down. Pretty soon there will be none! That is depressing! Deal with it! Teaching children about it may help to stop this process! 18 million trees are being cut down a day in the U.S. That is startling. In ten years when you can't breathe, you will wish you listened to the Lorax 20 years ago! My kindergarteners love it! It is all in how you approach it. Teach them to LOVE our earth and it won't be depressing. Excellent book and puppet and concept!!!!!!!!!!!

The Lorax:
My children love this book. By the time my son was two, I had read it to him so many times that he had memorized it! He, as well as my daughter, just love this story.

Reads like it was written by a demented environmentalist:
Wow, this book is a screed. I'm not sure banging kids over the head with a story about unnecessary consumption and extinction of a tree is the way to teach environmentalism. It seems like Dr. Seuss had dementia or too much LSD on board when he wrote this.

One of the best Seuss books there is!:
This story about being a steward for our world and environment is a job for parents and kids alike. My two year old has is memorized (as I do) but we never tire of reading it.