The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Reviewed by Margo Dill, www.margodill.com, margodll@aol.com

photo by Sarah Kennon www.flickr.com

*Picture book for prekindergartners through third graders, fantasy
*Two creatures–the Once-ler and the Lorax–as main characters
*Rating: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss is a wonderful book to teach students about the effects of pollution and industrialization.

Short, short summary: A young boy visits the Once-ler and hears the story of the Lorax and the Truffula trees straight from the creature who destroyed their home. The Once-ler cut down Truffula trees to manufacture his thneeds, which he sold for $3.98. He got a little greedy and built a factory to produce more and more thneeds. During this time, all sorts of lovely Dr. Seuss creatures left the area due to pollution and lack of food. The Lorax warned the Once-ler over and over again about what he was doing to the environment, but he wouldn’t listen. Finally, the last Truffula tree was cut down. What did the Once-ler and the Lorax do then?

So, what do I do with this book?

1. For a fun activity about creating ads for thneeds, see my Bright Hub article: “Creating Ads for Thneeds from The Lorax.”

2. For a 6 + 1 Traits of Writing activity, see my Bright Hub article: “Lesson Plan: Teaching Word Choice with The Lorax by Dr. Seuss.”

3. For an elementary art lesson, see my Bright Hub article: “Using Recyclable Materials for an Elementary Art Lesson.”