The Cat in the Hat
The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss, is a children's classic that was originally published in 1957. It was published again in 2007 to commemorate its 50th anniversary. For 52 years this book has been entertaining children, as it still does today. My kindergartners love for me to read it to them, as they do many of Dr. Seuss's books. They like the book just for the pure fun of reading it. They enjoy the rhyming, rhythm, and comical illustrations, and they think the far fetched antics of the cat are funny.
Some contemporary children's books that also include tension between right and wrong include:
Amelia Bedelia, by Peggy Parish or Herman Parish
The early books in this series were written by Perry Parish. After her death, her nephew, Herman Parrish, began authoring the books in 1995. Amelia Bedelia is a housekeeper who takes everything very literally. For example, when her wealthy employer asks her to dust the furniture, Amelia Bedelia sprinkles bath powder (dust) all over the furniture! I chose this comparison because wherever Amelia Bedelia goes, almost always a mess is generated, and wherever the Cat in the Hat goes, a mess is sure to follow.
One example from this series:
Herman, H. (2002). Good driving, Amelia Bedelia. New York: Greenwillow.
I chose this comparison, because, like The Cat in the Hat, this book pits animal against man. The cows type a letter to Farmer Brown, telling him they want some electric blankets or they will quit giving milk.
Cronin, D. (2000). Click, clack, moo: Cows that type. New York: Simon & Shuster.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Joffe Numeroff
This book is another book where an animal causes problems for a person. Once the little boy gives the mouse a cookie, the mouse then starts asking for many other things. This is a cyclical book, so in the end, the mouse wants another cookie. The little boy wears himself out waiting on the mouse, and the house gets messed up, like the house in The Cat in the Hat. Another possible similarity between these two books is the absence of parents in the home at the time of the messes.
Numeroff, L. (1985). If you give a mouse a cookie. New York: Harper & Row.
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The Lorax
The Lorax was written by Dr. Seuss to help children understand how industrial progress negatively affects the environment. In the beginning of the story, the environment is clean and the animals are thriving in their habitat. The Once-lers move into the area, build a factory, and begin to chop down all of the truffula trees in order to produce a product called a thneed. After a time, the air, water, and land become polluted so the animals have to move out. Once all of the trees have been cut down, the thneed factory has to cease operation. In the end, the factory head has saved one seed from the truffula trees and entrusts it to a little boy to plant so the trees will regrow. The Lorax is didactic in the fact that it teaches a lesson about conserving the environment. The message is so strong in this book that the logging industry protested and people tried to get the book banned.
Many children's books can be considered didactic because they attempt to teach children lessons about different issues. The list below contains just a few examples of didactic books in children's literature along with the subjects of the moral lessons:
The Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister - Sharing
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst - Spending money wisely
The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper - Never giving up
Curious George, by H.A. Rey - Following the rules
Arthur series, by Marc Brown- Various moral ideas, following the rules
Clifford the Big, Red Dog series, by Norman Bridwell - Various moral ideas
When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry..., by Molly Bang - Controlling temper
A Bad Case of Stripes, by David Shannon - Popularity, being true to yourself , standing up for what you believe in
Swimmy, by Leo Lionni - Working together to accomplish a task
Amazing Gace, by Mary Hoffman - Racism
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Mellon, by Patty Lovell - Bullying
The Meanest Thing to Say, by Bill Cosby - Bullying, making friends
Reference:
Booklist of children' s literature (2009). Monroe County Public Library. Retrieved July 26, 2009 from http://monroe.lib.in.us/.
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