Rating: 
Summary: Prescient political pondering of our polarized prolatariat
Review: Just as Seuss covered anti-intellectualism in Green Eggs and Ham, and alternate lifestyles in Hop on Pop, the Fish book is a trenchant political analysis. Foreseeing the red vs. blue state deadlock back in the idealistic better-living-through-chemistry early 1960s, Suess contrasts the red (as in communist) fish with the all-American blue fish. This motif weaves through the book, teaching little ones the red vs. blue tension of multiculturalism (in the form of strange animals) and isolationism of Ned in his too-small bed. While most younger children will miss the allusion to Procrustes, they may remember the literary echo in Hop on Pop: Ned joins Red, Ted, and Ed in a more appropriately sized bed, and Seuss shows his support for the UN, or at least the International Monetary Fund.The tension is palpable when the young boy and girl bring home a large, walrus-like pet and wonder how their mother will feel about their deed; no preschooler could miss this reference to the Teapot Dome scandal. Similarly, their advice to get a pet Yink simply because of its fondness for pale red india writing product is a sardonic commentary on rampant consumerism. And the camel-like Wump shows his prophetic realization that our demand for oil would force us to deal with the Saudis on a regular basis. Seuss warns us of the coming divide in these United States in the introduction: "From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere." It starts with the fish, red, blue, and black (but not white, showing where Geisel's sympathies lie), young and old, then proceeds up the evolutionary chain to large land mammals, eventually including the aforementioned school-aged boy and girl. They serve as the Adam and Eve as well as the Joe and Joan Sixpak of the book. They espouse embracing what is different while they reinforce doing the same. Seuss knew where we were headed in both 2000 and 2004, and this book shows the way out. The US has plenty of (pale) red ink, so we should get a Yink. I think.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless classic
Review: Don't skip this one, please. You just have to have these tongue-twister books to read to your child. It's a blast to read fast too. My little one keeps saying, "faster, faster mommy!" Good thing I can speed read! It's a fabulous book and one that every child should own. It inspires tons of imagination and fun and really makes reading exciting for little ones. It's weird to run into someone as an adult who hasn't read these classic Seuss books. It makes you feel sorry for them and wonder what other great things of childhood they've missed.
Rating:
Summary: Outrageous Fun for Humans
Review: My little girl just finished writing a review of Go, Dog, Go and she will soon be starting this marvelous book. Her statemets concerning this book are listed below...
I finish Go, Dog, Go and it went. Now I read this book about silly fish. I had a fish named Whale but he caught fire when the home burned down. There is this book I read next. My Dad says it is good to lern but I read it any way. I wrote a story about a Kitty cat named Meow Meow. The cat was about to get eaten by a dog named Tails. Meow Meow threw a sandwich at the dog who said I'll eat your crazy sandwich but I won't ride your bicycle. Then they went to the pool and the dog went off the diving board just like my brother did. Dogs shouldn't eat chocolate.
Rating:
Summary: Prescient political pondering of our polarized prolatariat
Review: Just as Seuss covered anti-intellectualism in Green Eggs and Ham, and alternate lifestyles in Hop on Pop, the Fish book is a trenchant political analysis. Foreseeing the red vs. blue state deadlock back in the idealistic better-living-through-chemistry early 1960s, Suess contrasts the red (as in communist) fish with the all-American blue fish. This motif weaves through the book, teaching little ones the red vs. blue tension of multiculturalism (in the form of strange animals) and isolationism of Ned in his too-small bed. While most younger children will miss the allusion to Procrustes, they may remember the literary echo in Hop on Pop: Ned joins Red, Ted, and Ed in a more appropriately sized bed, and Seuss shows his support for the UN, or at least the International Monetary Fund. The tension is palpable when the young boy and girl bring home a large, walrus-like pet and wonder how their mother will feel about their deed; no preschooler could miss this reference to the Teapot Dome scandal. Similarly, their advice to get a pet Yink simply because of its fondness for pale red india writing product is a sardonic commentary on rampant consumerism. And the camel-like Wump shows his prophetic realization that our demand for oil would force us to deal with the Saudis on a regular basis. Seuss warns us of the coming divide in these United States in the introduction: "From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere." It starts with the fish, red, blue, and black (but not white, showing where Geisel's sympathies lie), young and old, then proceeds up the evolutionary chain to large land mammals, eventually including the aforementioned school-aged boy and girl. They serve as the Adam and Eve as well as the Joe and Joan Sixpak of the book. They espouse embracing what is different while they reinforce doing the same. Seuss knew where we were headed in both 2000 and 2004, and this book shows the way out. The US has plenty of (pale) red ink, so we should get a Yink. I think.
Rating:
Summary: An astonishing adventure into human philosophy
Review: This book was fun to read as a kid and continues to be fun to watch my kids enjoy this book. My three year old loves it because of the colors and funny shapes and sizes of the characters. My five year old loves to try to read some of it. My seven year old loves to read it to his younger siblings. Learning colors, opposites, and rhyming words and even the nonsense words makes this book learning fun. Go ahead and get it!!
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