Horton Hatches the Egg

Some see this as the triumph of hard work, patience, and loyalty. I guess I can see that. Certainly, lazy Mayzie is as villianous a deadbeat parent as I can think of, and Horton strikes a noble contrast. However, I couldn't help reading this as Dr. Seuss' take on nature vs. nurture. Horton does all the real nurturing, and out comes an elephant-bird, a Lamarkian triumph and an inspiration to adoptive parents. I'm not sure if it's what Dr. Seuss believes to be true or if it is what he wishes to be true, "it should be, it should be, it should be that way." I could do without the scene where the hunters point their rifles straight at Horton's heart, but that's just me. Evidently I'm too gentle for the world of children's literature. Big thumbs up, though, good story, good rhymes, and not as insipid as the lazy-Mayzie "wocket in my pocket"-era Seuss. Most importantly, my daughter loves it.

This playful and imaginative book is about an elephant that comes across a bird that is extremely stressed and does not wish to sit on her egg anymore. So Horton decides to sit on the egg so the bird can take a break. Well the bird ends up taking a tropical vacation and doesn't want to return. Well Horton very patiently sat on the egg through sleet and rain and the most horrible conditions. Well some people decide that this is a hilarious site and feel that he should be on display for all to see. So the men dig up the tree in which Horton is patiently perched and is taken down south. When Horton and the tree reach the south the mother bird finds Horton just as his egg starts to hatch and she demands it back. Horton is very displeased and states that he did all the work and deserves the egg. Well just as that was said out of the egg jumps an Elephant bird, which is a trophy for all Horton's hard work. Dr. Seuss yet again did a wonderful job with rhymes and engaging children to read. I love the moral that was being put into place that if you work hard and stay focused then it will all pay off and you will be rewarded in the end. This is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss book if not my favorite. I have always been a fan of his ability to draw children in and engage them in reading. Also the rhymes and silly words are great for young readers. Also what better then to have a moral tied along with it?

This book clearly deserves more than five stars!Horton Hatches the Egg is one of my very favorite children's books. The story opens with Mayzie, a lazy bird, sitting on her nest hatching an egg. She's terribly bored and tired and wants a break. She persuades Horton, the elephant, to take over for her. This is a good choice on her part because, "An elephant's faithful -- one hundred percent!" So Horton props up the tree so it can take his weight, climbs up onto the nest, and ever so gently . . . sits on the egg. Mayzie decides a little vacation in Palm Beach will be in order. Once there, she says . . . "why bother?" and abandons her egg.What Horton didn't know is that this egg needed 51 more weeks of hatching! But, never mind. "He said what he meant and he meant what he said." He sat on that egg, no matter what. Through a long series of misadventures, Mayzie and Horton are reunited just as the egg hatches. Mayzie wants her egg back, and Horton doesn't agree. Then the big surprise happens and Horton gets his reward!Teaching children patience and persistence . . . well, that takes a lot of patience and persistence. Horton Hatches the Egg is a way to provide a small fictional example when setbacks and delays occur. My youngsters didn't understand Thomas Edison's comment about genius being 99 percent perspiration until they were well past their Dr. Seuss days. I like to think that their hard-working adult selves (for the three who are adults) were formed in part by Horton's example in this book. This book contains many valuable lessons to encourage such as: keeping your word; being honest; looking out for those in need; sticking through to the end; facing your fears; and many others. It's a remarkable thing to realize also how well the ridiculous image of an unhappy elephant sitting on a nest is a bare tree can create all of those good notions. Way to go, Dr. Seuss!

Horton Hatches the Egg is a wonderful tale for young and old alike. I read it as a child and now read it to my own children. I was the library coordinator for my child's first grade class and was having a very difficult time controling twenty two unruly kids. Horton to the rescue. The kids loved the tale of the faithful elephant shouting out each and every time that this elephant was faithful one hundred percent. You will love this book one hundred percent !