Book Blog #1: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

The Lorax

Written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss

Random House Children's Books: Copyright Dr. Seuss Enterprises L.P. 1971, renewed 1999.

Fantasy

Plot Summary:

In The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, the Once-ler tells a story of a creature called the Lorax who speaks for the trees. The Lorax comes to town when the Once-ler decides to cut some of the truffula trees down to use for his "Thneed" sweater making business. The Lorax warns the Once-ler that once the trees are gone, they're gone, and the results of his actions could have dangerous effects on the beautiful nature that surrounds them. Will the Once-ler listen to the Lorax? The fate of the truffula forest is in his hands. 

Illustrations: Dr. Seuss' The Lorax depicts whimsical images of the land that the Once-ler lives in, as well as the truffula forest. The pages of this book are filled with fantastic cartoon images that are meant to be seen through a child's point of view, which explains why many of the images seem big or looming, or seem as if the reader is looking up. Some of the pictures are single spread, but many stretch across two pages. 

I would most definitely use this book for a K-2 science lesson in my classroom. This book is filled with environmental talks of safety and protecting the Earth. I would provide a lesson on what my students could do to help our Earth, as far as in the classroom, in our community, and places further from home. I think my students would benefit from a science lesson on environmental consciousness in order to relate what we read in The Lorax to what we can do in our own lives to protect our environment from pollution and disease.