http://www.ratinghq.comRatinghq Category Comments Feed for Childrens BooksRatingHQ (http://www.ratinghq.com)enOne Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish is a 1960 children's book by Dr. Seuss. A simple rhyming book for learner readers, it is a book with a freewheeling plot about a boy and a girl, and the many amazing creatures they have for friends and pets. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish was part of the Beginner Book Video series which included Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! and The Foot Book.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-156/one-fish-two-fish-red-fish-blue-fish-by-dr-seuss.html2008-07-14 13:36:25The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites (ISBN 0-394-80937-8) is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss and first published in 1968. The book is intended for young children, and it seeks to convey the concept of opposites through depictions of different kinds of feet. The text of The Foot Book is highly stylized, containing the rhymes, repetitions, and cadences typical of Dr. Seuss's work. Reading this book will teach the reader that you should not judge any one because of what they look like or in this case their feet.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-157/the-foot-book.html2008-07-14 13:41:22And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street is a book written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. Originally published in 1937, it was Seuss's first children's book. The manuscript was rejected by some 20 to 30 publishers (precise numbers vary, even from Seuss himself, who counted 27 and 28) but was eventually published by Vanguard Press.[1][2] The story follows a boy named Marco, who watches the sight and sounds of people and vehicles traveling along Mulberry Street. Marco dreams up an elaborate story to tell to his father at the end of his walk, but decides instead to simply tell him what he actually saw. Dr. Seuss wrote the story as a commentary about how he felt adults stifled children's imaginations.[http://www.ratinghq.com/3-158/and-to-think-that-i-saw-it-on-mulberry-street.html2008-07-14 13:46:25The Butter Battle Book tells the story of a land where two hostile cultures, the Yooks and the Zooks, live on opposite sides of a long curving wall. The Yooks wear blue clothes; the Zooks wear orange. The main dispute between the two cultures is that the Yooks, who live on one side of the wall, eat their bread with the butter-side up, while the Zooks, who live on the other side, eat their bread with the butter-side down. The conflict between the two sides leads to an arms race, each competing to make bigger and better weapons to outdo the other, which results in the threat of mutual assured destruction.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-159/the-butter-battle-book.html2008-07-14 13:47:58In the first book featuring the character (The Cat in the Hat, 1957), the Cat brings a cheerful, exotic and exuberant form of chaos to a household of two young children one rainy day while their mother is out. Bringing with him two creatures appropriately named Thing One and Thing Two, the Cat performs all sorts of wacky tricks to amuse the children, with mixed results. The Cat's antics are vainly opposed by the family pet, who is a sentient and articulate goldfish. The children (Sally and her older brother, who serves as the narrator) ultimately prove exemplary latchkey children, capturing the Things and bringing the Cat under control. He cleans up the house on his way out, disappearing seconds before the mother arrives.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-160/the-cat-in-the-hat.html2008-07-14 13:51:01Come over to My House is a 1966 children's book written by Theo. LeSieg and illustrated by Richard Erdoes. The name "Theo. LeSieg" was a pen name of Theodor Geisel, who is more commonly known by another pen name, Dr. Seuss. The illustrations portray the various styles of homes that kids from around the world live in along with Seuss's recognizable prose. Throughout the book they also cover what kids eat, how they sleep (Japanese wooden pillows), play (sledding on pine needles), and even clean-up afterwards (Polynesian hot spring).http://www.ratinghq.com/3-161/come-over-to-my-house.html2008-07-14 13:55:08Daisy-Head Mayzie is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss, although he did not illustrate it, nor was it published until 1995, after his death. The book is about a schoolgirl named Mayzie who one day suddenly sprouts a bright yellow daisy from her head. It causes alarm in her classroom, family, and town, until an agent makes her a celebrity. The Cat in the Hat is seen serving as the narrator to this story who helps Mayzie to understand her problem and persuade her to go back home. The book has a mini-song titled "Daisy-Head Mayzie" which her classmates chant.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-162/daisy-head-mayzie.html2008-07-14 13:56:05The plot revolves around Sam's efforts to get his friend to try a dish known as "Green eggs and ham". The friend refuses to taste the dish, and only wants to be left in peace. Sam goes through an assortment of locations (house, car, tree) and dining partners (fox, goat, mouse) trying to persuade his friend to eat, but without success. The triumphant conclusion of Seuss's tale occurs when Sam's pal, standing in shallow water after a boat sinks, surrounded by various people and beasts, finally agrees to try the delicacy and pronounces it quite tasty. The sudden turnaround in the nameless character's attitude is somewhat similar to that of the Grinch, whom Sam's friend physically resembles except in having floppy ears. The story may be interpreted as a fable to encourage children to try new things in order to gain their benefits. Perhaps fear, pride or a feeling of superiority are making the main character grumpy and resistant to change and self-improvement.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-163/green-eggs-and-ham.html2008-07-14 14:02:12Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! (ISBN 0-679-89008-4) is a children's book credited to Dr. Seuss "with some help by Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith". The book is based on verses and sketches created by Seuss before his death in 1991, and was expanded to book length and completed by writer Prelutsky and illustrator Smith for publication in 1998. The story surrounds a school that is well-liked by its students notably because of its many eccentric teachers. However, the students must make a good grade on a standardized test or else they will be sent to an adjacent school, which requires uniforms to be worn and is incredibly dull.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-164/hooray-for-diffendoofer-day-.html2008-07-14 14:04:40The book concerns an elephant named Horton, who is convinced by an irresponsible bird named Mayzie to sit on her egg while she takes a long "break", which proves to last for months. Naturally, the absurd sight of an elephant sitting atop a tree makes quite a scene. Horton is laughed at by his jungle friends, exposed to the elements, captured by hunters, forced to endure a terrible sea voyage, and finally placed in a traveling circus. When the egg hatches, the creature that emerges is a cross between Horton and Mayzie, and Horton and the baby are returned to the jungle.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-165/horton-hatches-the-egg.html2008-07-14 14:05:50The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant who, on the fifteenth of May in the Jungle of Nool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called "Whoville", inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants known as Whos. The Whos ask Horton (who, though he cannot see them, is able to hear them quite well) to protect them from harm, to which Horton happily obliges, proclaiming throughout the book that "a person's a person, no matter how small". In doing so he is ridiculed and forced into a cage by the other animals in the jungle for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear. His chief tormentors are Vlad Vladikoff, the Wickersham Brothers and the Sour Kangaroo. Horton tells the Whos that, lest they end up being boiled in "Beezelnut Oil," they need to make themselves heard to the other animals. The Whos finally accomplish this by ensuring that all members of their society play their part. In the end it is a "very small shirker named Jo-Jo" whose final addition to the volume creates enough lift for the jungle to hear the sound, thus reinforcing the moral of "a person's a person no matter how small." Now convinced of the Whos' existence, Horton's neighbors vow to help him protect the tiny community.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-166/horton-hears-a-who-.html2008-07-14 14:07:37The Grinch, a bitter, cave-dwelling creature with a heart "two sizes too small," lives on snowy Mount Crumpit, a steep, 3,000 foot high mountain just north of Whoville, home of the merry and warm-hearted Whos. His only companion is Max, his faithful dog. From his perch high atop Mount Crumpit, the Grinch can hear the noisy Christmas festivities that take place in Whoville. (The Whos of this book may or may not be the minuscule Whos of Horton Hears a Who; In the Broadway musical Seussical, the Grinch's Whos and Horton's are one and the same, the Grinch being microscopic and living on the dust speck as well. In the live-action movie, Whoville is located in a snowflake.) Envious of the Whos' happiness, he makes plans to descend on the town and, by means of burglary, deprive them of their Christmas presents and decorations and thus "prevent Christmas from coming". However, he learns in the end that despite his success in stealing all the Christmas presents and decorations from the Whos, Christmas comes just the same. He then realizes that Christmas is more than just gifts and presents. His heart grows three sizes larger, he returns all the presents and trimmings, and is warmly welcomed into the community of the Whos.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-167/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-.html2008-07-14 14:08:57Solla Sollew is a tale of a young person who discovers the "troubles" of life and wishes to escape them. Through a series of adventures experienced when trying to reach the mythical city of the title ("where they never have troubles/at least very few") the protagonist comes to realize that he must face his problems instead of running away from them. (At the end of the book, it is revealed that the mythical city has just one problem: a creature given to slapping keys out of keyholes has taken up residence in the gate to the city, and it is considered extremely bad luck to kill this kind of creature. As a result, nobody can get into the city. In fact, the doorman moves to another city called Boola Boom-Ball, "where they never have troubles/no troubles at all.")http://www.ratinghq.com/3-168/i-had-trouble-in-getting-to-solla-sollew.html2008-07-14 14:12:07I Wish That I Had Duck Feet is a children's book written by Theo. LeSieg and first published in 1965. "Theo. LeSieg" was a pen name of Theodor Geisel, who is more commonly known as Dr. Seuss. The story concerns a boy who wishes that he could have many different animal and mechanical body parts, finding fantastic uses for each. After he lists all the great things he can do with his new body part, he says why it would be problematic. At the end, he decides that he is happiest being himself.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-169/i-wish-that-i-had-duck-feet.html2008-07-14 14:13:45Behind Mr. Sneelock's ramshackle store, there's an empty lot. Little Morris McGurk is convinced that if he could just clear out the rusty cans, the dead tree, and the old cars, nothing would prevent him from using the lot for the amazing, world-beating, Circus McGurkus. The more elaborate Morris' dreams about the circus become, the more they depend on the sleepy-looking and innocent Sneelock, who stands outside his ramshackle store sucking on a pipe, oblivious to the fate that awaits him in the depths of Morris's imagination. He doesn't yet know that he'll have to dispense 500 gallons of lemonade, be lassoed by a Wily Walloo, wrestle a Grizzly-Ghastly, and ski down a slope dotted with giant cacti. But if his performance is up to McGurkian expectations, then "Why, ladies and gentlemen, youngsters and oldsters, your heads will quite likely spin right off your shouldsters!"http://www.ratinghq.com/3-170/if-i-ran-the-circus.html2008-07-14 14:15:45In the book, Gerald McGrew is a kid who, when visiting a zoo, finds that the exotic animals are "not good enough". He says that if he ran the zoo, he would let all of the current animals free and find new, more bizarre and exotic ones. Throughout the book he lists these creatures, starting with a lion with ten feet and escalating to more imaginative (and imaginary) creatures, such as the Fizza-ma-Wizza-ma-Dill, "the world's biggest bird from the island of Gwark, who eats only pine trees, and spits out the bark." The illustrations also grow wilder as McGrew imagines going to increasingly remote and exotic habitats and capturing each fanciful creature, and brings them all back to a zoo now filled with his wild new animals. He also imagines the praise he receives from others, who are amazed at his "new Zoo, McGrew Zoo".http://www.ratinghq.com/3-171/if-i-ran-the-zoo.html2008-07-14 14:17:11The King's Stilts tells the story of King Birtram of Binn, who dedicates himself to safeguarding his kingdom, which lives in a precarious existence. The king enjoys himself with a rigorous cavorting on his personal red stilts, until they are stolen and the king neglects his duties. The kingdom is almost destroyed when the stilts are returned by a page boy and the King saves the kingdom.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-172/the-king-s-stilts.html2008-07-14 14:18:08One night, a boy comes to a desolate corner of town to visit the Once-ler and learn about the Lorax. The Once-ler recounts how he first arrived where they now stand, then a beautiful forest of Truffula Trees, colorful woolly trees that were spread throughout the area and supported various fantastical creatures. The Once-ler chopped down a tree and used its foliage to knit a Thneed, an odd-looking but versatile garment that he insisted "everyone needs." A strange man called the Lorax emerged from the stump and protested, but the Once-ler ignored him, and, spurred by greed, began a huge Thneed-making business, much to the Lorax's distress. The skies gradually grew darker and more polluted, forcing the local animals to leave the area. The Once-ler dismissed the Lorax's pleadings until the last Truffula Tree was chopped down, leaving the Once-ler alone with the Lorax, who picked himself up by the "seat of his pants" and floated away through a hole in the smog, leaving behind only a small pile of rocks with the word "Unless" inscribed into them. The Once-ler then reveals to the boy that he has one last Truffula seed left, which he gives to him with instructions to start a new forest so that "the Lorax and all of his friends may come back."http://www.ratinghq.com/3-173/the-lorax.html2008-07-14 14:20:01Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! (ISBN 0-394-82490-3) is a children's book by Dr. Seuss. Written as a book for early beginning readers, it is suitable for children who can not yet read at the level of more advanced beginning books such as The Cat in the Hat. The book presents in short and funny fashion, Dr. Seuss's nonsensical words, rhymes, and illustrations. The gist of the book is that Marvin K. Mooney is asked to leave in many ways. The title is still in print.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-174/marvin-k-mooney-will-you-please-go-now-.html2008-07-14 14:21:44It is a tale of a boy named Marco who is ridiculed for fishing in a small, polluted pool. In typical Seussian fashion, when confronted with the limitations of his situation, the young boy imagines ways in which he could catch any number of any kind of fish in the small pool. The simple story features many Seussian themes, including the imaginative boy and his fantastic fancied fish. However, it is far more repetitive than his later works. The illustrations are shaded colored pencil rather than the later pen and ink which defined his style.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-175/mcelligot-s-pool.html2008-07-14 14:23:58Oh, the Places You'll Go! (ISBN 9780679805274) is the last book written and illustrated by children's author Dr. Seuss. It was first published by Random House on January 22, 1990. The book concerns life and its challenges. Though written in the style of classics such as Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! has many specific characters including a narrator and the reader. A young boy, referred to simply as “you,” initiates the action of the story. However, the presence of a main character helps readers to identify with the book. It is written in second person and uses future tense. It is perhaps best known for the refrain, "Will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed. (98 3/4% guaranteed.)"http://www.ratinghq.com/3-176/oh-the-places-you-ll-go-.html2008-07-14 14:29:38On Beyond Zebra! is a classic illustrated children's book by Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. This book fits into the genre of literary nonsense. The young narrator, not content with the confines of the ordinary alphabet, invents additional letters beyond Z, with a fantastic creature corresponding to each new letter. The creatures include favorites such as the Floobooberbabooberbubs, large buoyant heads which float serenely in the water. These naturally serve as the example for the letter "Floob".http://www.ratinghq.com/3-177/on-beyond-zebra-.html2008-07-14 14:37:53In the story, a "fix-it-up chappie" named Sylvester McMonkey McBean appears, driving a cart of strange machines. He offers the Sneetches without stars a chance to have them by going through his Star-On machine, for three dollars. The treatment is instantly popular, but this upsets the old star-bellied Sneetches, as they are in danger of losing their method for discriminating between classes of Sneetches. Then McBean tells them about his Star-Off machine, costing ten dollars. The Sneetches formerly with stars happily pay the money to have them removed in order to remain special. However, McBean does not share the prejudices of the Sneetches, and allows the recently starred Sneetches through this machine as well. Ultimately this escalates, with the Sneetches running from one machine to the next, "until neither the Plain nor the Star-Bellies knew whether this one was that one or that one was this one or which one was what one... or what one was who." This continues until the Sneetches are penniless and McBean leaves a rich man. In the end, the Sneetches learn that neither plain-belly nor star-belly Sneetches are superior, and they are able to get along and become friends.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-178/the-sneetches-and-other-stories.html2008-07-14 14:40:41The titular story revolves around a Yertle the Turtle, the king of the pond. Unsatisfied with the stone that serves as his throne, he commands the other turtles to stack themselves beneath him so that he can see further and expand his kingdom. However, the turtle at the bottom of the pile, named Mack, asks Yertle for a respite. Ignoring his request, Yertle commands more and more turtles to add to his throne, until he notices the moon rising above him as the night approaches. Furious that something "dares to be higher than Yertle the King", he decides to call for even more turtles in an attempt rise above it. However, before he can give the command, Mack burps, shaking the stack of turtles and tossing Yertle off into the mud, leaving him "King of the Mud" and freeing the others.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-179/yertle-the-turtle.html2008-07-14 14:43:13Harry Potter is the most miserable, lonely boy you can imagine. He’s shunned by his relatives, the Dursley’s, that have raised him since he was an infant. He’s forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs, forced to wear his cousin Dudley’s hand-me-down clothes, and forced to go to his neighbour’s house when the rest of the family is doing something fun. Yes, he’s just about as miserable as you can get. Harry’s world gets turned upside down on his 11th birthday, however. A giant, Hagrid, informs Harry that he’s really a wizard, and will soon be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry also learns that, in the wizarding world, he’s a hero. When he was an infant, the evil Lord Voldemort killed his parents and then tried to kill Harry too. What’s so amazing to everyone is that Harry survived, and allegedly destroyed Voldemort in the process. The school year ends spectacularly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are honored for their service to the school, and Harry leaves to go back to the Dursley’s for the summer feeling as if he’s finally found a place where he really belongs.http://www.ratinghq.com/3-442/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerer-s-stone.html2008-07-31 14:10:37