Happy 107 Birthday,

Dr. Seuss

Tuesdays with Mrs. Cooke

Not Just For KidsToday is Dr. Seuss’ birthday! Most of you know Dr. Seuss from hearing his stories when you were a kid. You probably don’t know that his stories for kids are really for adults. As an 8th grader, I think you are old enough to learn about the real meaning of his stories.

The Lorax The Lorax was Dr. Seuss’ favorite story. It

reminds us that one person can make a difference. The environment is important to us.

The SneetchesDr. Seuss hated anti-Semitism. The Nazis often required Jews to wear yellow stars on their clothing to show they were Jewish.

“Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches Had bellies with stars.The Plain-Belly Sneetches Had none upon thars.Those stars weren't so big. They were really so smallYou might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.......And, really, it's sort of a terrible shame,For except for those stars, every Sneetch is the same.”

Yertle the Turtle Yertle is a selfish turtle who climbs over everyone to be at the top. A little turtle stuck at the bottom eventually decides he's had enough. "I know up on top you are seeing great sights, but down on the bottom we, too, should have rights!“

Yertle is a cartoon version of Adolf Hitler.

Adolf Hitler and Dr. Seuss“I had no great causes or interest in social issues until Hitler.”

Reading Political Cartoons

To read and understand a political cartoon, you must infer what it means.

To infer what it means, you look at the clues in the pictures and words. Then you add your schema for what the clues might mean.

Your Assignment Copy this chart on your paper.

Fill out the chart for each cartoon.

Clues from the pictures and text

My Schema (What the clues remind me of or might be about)

Dr. Seuss’ message

Clues from the pictures and

text

My Schema (What the

clues remind me of or might

be about)

Dr. Seuss’ message

•Adolf the Wolf•Her shirt says “America First”•The kids look scared•The book says the wolf chewed up the kids, but it didn’t matter because they were foreign children

•Adolf Hitler•America didn’t want to get into the war with Germany•Hitler killed many people•America might care more if Hitler was killing American children

•Hitler is a wolf that kills people•America should stop him, even if he isn’t killing Americans