The Lorax - Softcover

Seuss, Dr.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007414293 ISBN 13: 9780007414291

Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks, 2010

Synopsis

In this haunting fable about the dangers of destroying our forests and woodlands, the long-suffering Lorax struggles to save all the Truffula Trees from the wicked Once-ler’s axe.

With his unique combination of hilarious stories, zany pictures and riotous rhymes, Dr. Seuss has been delighting young children and helping them learn to read for over fifty years. Creator of the wonderfully anarchic Cat in the Hat, and ranking among the UK’s top ten favourite children’s authors, Seuss is firmly established as a global best-seller, with nearly half a million books sold worldwide.

This delightful book forms part of the third stage in HarperCollins’ major Dr. Seuss rebrand programme. With the relaunch of six more titles in January 2004, such all-time favourites as The Lorax, The Foot Book and Yertle the Turtle boast bright new covers that incorporate much needed guidance on reading levels: Blue Back Books are for parents to share with young children, Green Back Books are for budding readers to tackle on their own, and Yellow Back Books are for older, more fluent readers to enjoy. The Lorax belongs to the Yellow Back Book range.

About this title

Review:

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 amid 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.

The now remorseful Once-ler--our faceless, bodiless narrator--tells the story himself. Long ago this enterprising villain chances upon a place filled with wondrous Truffula Trees, Swomee-Swans, Brown Bar-ba- loots, and Humming-Fishes. Bewitched by the beauty of the Truffula Tree tufts, he greedily chops them down to produce and mass-market Thneeds. ("It's a shirt. It's a sock. It's a glove. It's a hat.") As the trees swiftly disappear and the denizens leave for greener pastures, the fuzzy yellow Lorax (who speaks for the trees "for the trees have no tongues") repeatedly warns the Once-ler, but his words of wisdom are for nothing. Finally the Lorax extricates himself from the scorched earth (by the seat of his own furry pants), leaving only a rock engraved "UNLESS." Thus, with his own colourful version of a compelling morality play, Dr. Seuss teaches readers not to fool with Mother Nature. But as you might expect from Seuss, all hope is not lost--the Once-ler has saved a single Truffula Tree seed! Our fate now rests in the hands of a caring child, who becomes our last chance for a clean, green future. (Ages 4 to 8)

Review:

Praise for Dr. Seuss:
“[Dr. Seuss] has...instilled a lifelong love of books, learning and reading [in children]” The Telegraph

“Dr. Seuss ignites a child’s imagination with his mischievous characters and zany verses” The Express

“The magic of Dr. Seuss, with his hilarious rhymes, belongs on the family bookshelf” Sunday Times Magazine

“The author... has filled many a childhood with unforgettable characters, stunning illustrations, and of course, glorious rhyme” The Guardian

Praise for And To Think That I Saw it On Mulberry Street:
“The cleverest book I have met with for many years. The swing and merriment of the pictures and the natural truthful simplicity of the untruthfulness.”
Beatrix Potter, author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0007414293
• ISBN 13: 9780007414291
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 64
• Illustrator: Seuss Dr.