HORTON HEARS A WHO!
By Dr. Seuss(Theodor S. Geisel '25). New York: RandomHouse, 1954. $2.50.
The elephant, Horton, with greatest of care Rescues a small speck of dust from the air.
He finds it is lived on, a village of Whos Which Horton takes care of without more ados, But runs into trouble with some kangeroos.
The latter are certain that Horton is mad For he talks to himself which is certainly bad.
Poor Horton, of course, is merely conversing With the village of infinitesimal Whos he is nursing.
A conflict develops, the answer you'll find By reading the book, if you are so inclined.
This is the first time, and it's somewhat a ditty. That a villain has been introduced into the ditty.
His fate, as is proper, is duly confounded.
The triumph of virtue leaves no one astounded.
It has miniscule print, superhuman behaviour, And Jo-Jo who turned from a twerp to a saviour.
The poem's illustrated by fantastic pictures Of animals hampered by no normal strictures.
The poetry's rhyming flows merrily on In this annual, longed-for phenomenon.
There is even a moral, if such is your taste: The Small must be guarded with no time to waste; For "A person's a person, no matter how small" Is a motto that should be a lesson to all. In parting, as this review comes to a close, It is certain in future, I'm sticking to prose!
Revieiuer's Note: Try to say at this point in a couplet - "Dr. Seuss does better with completely untrammeled plots allowing his imagination to expand madly in all directions than when he confines himself to a villain pursuing and persecuting the noble hero."
