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Summary: I'd forgotten how wonderful this book is
Review: I remembered this book as a child -- but I'd forgotten how wonderful it really is until I reread it to my tiny son. It's warm and lovely and should be on every kid's (and quite a few grown-ups) bookshelf.
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Summary: Horton the Elephant: A True Hero for Our Time
Review: I suspect that even people who don't know a word of English might enjoy Dr. Seuss's galloping rhythms, precise rhymes, and intricate illustrations of creatures and objects that couldn't possibly exist outside the wonderful, whimsical Seussian universe. But in Horton Hears a Who, the good doctor uses his inimitable talents not only to amuse but to weave a morality tale of surprising profundity. Although Horton is the largest creature in the Jungle of Nool, he alone is sensitive to the needs of the very smallest and most helpless. "A person's a person no matter how small" is a refrain that has rung true with several generations of young readers, and it is a credo that is no less valid today than it was half a century ago. Although Horton is referring to the tiny inhabitants of Whoville, young readers know intuitively that the author is really speaking about them. That children both need and deserve the respect and protection of their elders is a point that is all too rarely made in children's literature. Come to think of it, don't all of need to be reassured once in a while that compassionate spirits like Horton can be counted upon to come forward in times of crisis to protect us from the likes of the gleefully ignorant Wickersham Brothers and the mean-spirited Vlad Vlad-i-koff?
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Summary: Big let down!
Review: I was hoping for the original animated classic and this is just pictures from the book and Dustin Hoffman reading the story. I have the book and I can read the book! I wanted to see those nasty monkeys and hear the songs! My son loves them. The description I read didn't really let on that this wasn't the original. I was very disapointed.
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Summary: Probably Not What You Remember
Review: If you remember the monkeys shouting "Boil That Dust speck" you might be disappointed with this video. It is not the original animated short you remember but in fact is a 94 remake. This is more accurately, "Dustin Hoffman reads Horton". Instead of real animation it is still pictures from the book with minor animation effects. My daughter still likes it, but it's not what I expected.
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Summary: Bad!
Review: If you want to see the classic "Horton Hears A Who" in it's full glory, then you do not want to buy this! Instead, I suggest that for just a couple dollars more, you purchase the double feature of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" which includes the original Horton and all "Boil that dust speck" excitement (which I still find exciting at 15.....scary) Plus you get to watch the Grinch! I know for a fact that you can buy it on this site because I currently own it. :)
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Summary: "Big" enough for kids to understand!
Review: If you've never read this story, you and any children you read it to, are really in for a treat!This is one of those children's stories that introduce really huge concepts and really important things to think about - wrapped in a wonderful tale. It's a "big" story - an elephant with a big heart and his willingness to sacrifice for others. We learn that size of one's body doesn't matter - it's the size of one's heart that really counts.
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Summary: not what I expected
Review: It was not the movie I remember as a kid. It is still pictures and someone reading the book. What happened to boil that dustspeck?
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Summary: Is this a trick question???
Review: It's Dr.Suess. . .it's great!!Dr.Suess can't go wrong when it comes to entertaining the kids as well as the adults.It's a must have for any childs future childhood memories!!Buy it and bond with the kids over something sweet and funny!!
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Summary: A classic parable of social justice
Review: Like many of Dr. Seuss' great classics, "Horton Hears a Who!" can be read on multiple levels. You could approach it as a straightforward story (which is, I'm sure, how most children enjoy it). Or you could read the plot and characters as metaphors for larger issues. Either way, "Horton" is an unforgettable text. "Horton" opens with the delightful rhyme "On the fifteenth of May, in the Jungle of Nool, / In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool." Horton, a kind-hearted elephant, is the only inhabitant of the jungle who is capable of hearing the Whos, a microscopic race of beings whose entire civilization exists on a speck of dust. Mocked and abused by those who refuse to believe in the tiny Whos, Horton must ultimately join the Whos in a bold plan to prove the tiny beings' existence, and thus save their civilization from destruction. Dr. Seuss brilliantly combines the classic animal fable genre with a brilliant science fiction twist. But I also see "Horton" as a deeply humanistic parable of social justice. The Whos could be seen as symbols for any group of individuals who have been rendered "invisible" and voiceless by an arrogant dominant group. So the Whos could represent the poor, the lesbian and gay community, ethnic or religious minorities, women, or other groups. And Horton could be seen as a courageous, nonconformist prophet of social justice--a sort of Seussian version of Pablo Neruda, or Walt Whitman. Moreover, Horton is a member of the "dominant" group who chooses to identify with and stand in solidarity with a marginalized community, even at the risk of his own freedom. Furthermore, the hoped-for salvation of the Whos lies not in Horton's actions alone, nor in the Whos' own actions alone, but rather in the combined strength of both the entire Who community and their elephant advocate. I believe that Horton's quest reflects the ideas expressed by Brazilian educator-philosopher Paulo Freire in his classic volume "Pedagogy of the Oppressed." I don't want to reveal the details of the book's ending, but I'll just say that Dr. Seuss brings this suspenseful tale to a triumphant and life-affirming conclusion. And the story is brilliantly enhanced by marvelous Seussian artwork--I especially liked the illustrations of the whimsical Whos and their Escheresque city. "Horton Hears a Who!" is a classic for readers of all ages.
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Summary: Two stories in one
Review: Like most of Dr. Seuss's work, Horton Hears A Who can be taken at face value or read as a deeper allegory. I would like to concentrate on the first, as I believe there has been enough philosophizing done on this book to last for years.
Horton is an elephant who happens to hear a tiny little voice (by merit of his large ears, one would suspect) on a flower. Amazingly, he discovers an entire tiny city lving on this one flower! Everyone else in the jungle of Nool is critical, and tries to dissuade him of this--first peacably enough, but later with more hostility. In the end, Horton and all his Who-friends are able to save the day with a lot of teamwork and one little voice added to the fray.
Of course, your child probably won't care about many of the underlying themes at age 4--if Dr. Seuss's books were only dry life lessons, they wouldn't be classics. Yet, at the risk of going against my earlier promise, there is more than a good story here, and that's what ultimately makes this book rereadable at any age.
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