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Monday, October 31, 2011

The Lorax ~ Dr. Seuss (1971, Random House)

Summary: The book is about the lorax who wants to save the trees because all of the animals benefit from them being there. The Once-ler didn't think that the trees had any economical value so he didn't care for them. He decided that they were better suited for making thneeds. In the making of the thneeds, the Once-ler cut down all of the trees forcing all of the animals that needed them to leave the area. The story concludes with the Once-ler passing on the last truffula seed to the boy that has listened to the whole story. He tells the boy that it is his job to take care of that tree so the lorax and his friends come back.
My Review: This is one of my favorite books of all. It has a great message about conservation. It shows the difference that one person (boy listening to story) can make. It connects so easily to Earth Day and any science unit about conservation. It is a long one so it's better to read it in sections to the younger students.


About the Author: Theodore Seuss Geisel was better known to the world as Dr. Seuss. He was born in 1904 and passed away in 1991. Seuss attended Dartmouth College and Oxford University. When he returned to the United States, he decided to persue a career as a cartoonist which he did for 15 years. At the time of his death Seuss had written and illustrated 44 children's books, in over 15 different languages.A new book has been release entitled, The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories. It contains several stories that Seuss had had published in magazines between 1948-1959.
Genre: Fiction, Science
Theme/ Skill: Saving the environment
Age Level: 7-12
Pre-Reading Activity: Ask students if they know who the lorax is or what the story is about. Ask the students if they think this story is fiction or non-fiction? 
Post-Reading Activity: Brainstorm a list of things that the students could do to take care of the environment. Have each student make a truffula tree and write their idea in the "fluff" of the tree and hang the trees in the hall.

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