Biography

CLASS ACTIVITY IN “THE LORAX” A YOUNG BOY VENTURES OUT OF

A RUINED TOWN TO HEAR THE ONCE-L ER ’ S STORY.
THE ONCE-LER, TELLS THE BOY THAT LONG AGO
HE CAME TO PLACE WHERE “ THE GRASS WAS
STILL GREEN AND THE WATER WAS STILL WET
AND THE CLOUDS WHERE STILL CLEAN”
(SEUSS, 1971). IN THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE,
THERE WHERE TRUFFULA TREES . THE O NCE -
LER WHO WAS AN INVENTOR, CROPPED DOWN
THESE TRUFFULA TREE TO KNITTED A THNEED .
AS THE ONCE-LER FINISHED KNITTING, THE
Poems: Spilt into groups of two to
LORAX, WHO SPOKE FOR THE TREES, APPEARED
four. Give them 20-40 minutes to
OUT A TREE . THE L ORAX TOLD THE ONCE-L ER TO
create a poem that rhymes and
STOP WHAT HIS WAS DOING, BUT HE DID NOT
repeats, just like Dr. Seuss. Have
LISTEN . THE ONCE-L ER KEPT CUTTING DOWN ALL
each group share with the groups
THE TRUFFULA TREES AND BUILT A FACTORY TO
next to them.
MAKE HIS THNEED . AS THIS WENT ON , THE

Matching: Give each student a stack BROWN BAR-BA-LOOTS, THE SWOMEE-SWANS,

THEODOR SEUSS
of cards. The cards have picture and AND THE HUMMING-F ISH LEFT BECAUSE THE

words one side from Dr. Seuss’ TRUFFULA FOREST WAS NOT SAFE ENOUGH TO
books. The goal is to match the card
with the same rhyming word. Get ten
LIVE IN . WHEN THE LAST TRUFFULA TREE WAS
CUT DOWN THE F OREST WAS EMPTY , THE SKY WAS GEISEL
matches to win. DARK AND THE WATER WAS MURKY . THE L ORAX
LEFT THE ONCE-L ER WITH ONLY AS SAD LOOK ON
Earth Day: Spend the day making the HIS FACE . WHEN THE ONCE-L ER FINISHED HIS
classroom more environmentally STORY ABOUT THE RUINED TRUFFULA F OREST , HE
friendly. This can be picking up GIVES THE BOY THE LAST TRUFFULA SEED TO
trash, changing light bulbs, and GROW A FOREST . “THE L ORAX” GOES TO SAY THAT
planting a tree or seeds. Then have a WE NEED TO PRESERVE THE WORD AROUND YOU . Haley Brickwedel, Brianna
discussion on the importance of Richards, Addison Schmidt
preserving our environment.
 OVERVIEW HEADLINE BOOK SYNOPSES CRITIQUE
“You Are Only Old Once” Over all “The Lorax” is a great
“HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS” book for children to read. It allows
This story follows an old man who is This holiday tale, follows the students to understand persevering
waiting at a clinic office. The story follows grumpy Grinch in the town of Who-ville. the Earth and only taking what you
the old man through his checkups, his pills, The Grinch steals the presents and food need. The only critique of the book
and his paperwork. He spends ahis time in from all the Whos’ homes during would be the made-up language that
the waiting room as all old people do. When Christmas Eve. When the sun comes up, Dr. Seuss is known for. Children might
he leaves the clinic, he is in pretty good the Grinch waits to hear the cries of the have a hard time understanding the
shape for his age and shape he is in. Whos’ but instead hears them singing book with word that do not make up
together. So, the Grinch decides to bring the English language.
“Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are” the presents back for Christmas.

This story is an old man telling Duckie, “The Bippolo Seed” BIOGRAPHY
young boy how lucky he is for what he has Dr. Seuss was born on March 2nd,
and where he is in life. The old man tells him It is a story about a magical seed in 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He
stories of people less fortunate and going a silver box. You make a wish, plant the lived a full life and was married twice
through worst situations. seed, and count to three. Whatever you with no biological children but had two
wish for will grow/come out of the step children. In his lifetime, he has
“The Butter Battle Book” Bippolo tree. A young duck named written 44 books and has an award
Mckluck finds the little box but before he named after him, the Theodor Geisel
This story is about two separate
can wish, and big cat comes out and Award. His pen name “Dr. Seuss” was a
beliefs. There is a wall that separates the
screams stop! They each become greedy way he escaped punishment in college.
Yooks and Zooks. The Yooks believe that
and try to wish for as many things as His friends got caught drinking in his
toast needs to have the butter side up. And
possible. But before they can plant the Dartmouth dorm and was removed
the Zooks believe the butter on the toast
seed, the seed slips from the duck’s fist. from his position as a writer for a
needs to be side down. There is a wall that
They end up with no good luck or newspaper. He wanted to write more
separates the two beliefs and border patrol.
anything they wished for. so he used Dr. Seuss or T. Seuss to keep
The story goes on to the Zooks and Yooks
fighting against each other and it ends on a writing. Before becoming a successful
“One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue
cliff hanger of who won the war for the writer and illustrator he made ads for
Fish”
reader. Flit bug spray for 17 years. He also
This story starts out with repetitive created political cartoons for the U.S. in
“There’s a Wocket in my Pocket” words of the fish and then it breaks away World War II to help urge Americans to
to the other creatures. This boy and girl join the war before becoming a famous
This story follows a young boy who is
follow this journey of learning about the children’s book author. He
wondering around his house. And finds
creature’s traits and what they like to do. unfortunately died September 24,
creatures in all these silly places. Some are
This story has bright colors with 1991 but is still celebrated and
hidden, some are obvious to find. The boy
attention the detail. remembered today.
ends up befriending the creatures.