Book Review - 'Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories' by Dr. Seuss

2022 EDIT: Good, funny and thought-provoking stories still.

See my original review for more.

Final Score: 4/5





Original Review:



Such relevant and vital messages here:

'Yertle the Turtle', about the abuse of power; the rise and inevitable fall of tyrants and their never-satisfied egos, built on hubris and the suffering and silence of those they look down on. To be a leader means helping others; it does not mean to be a dictator, ruling wherever takes your fancy, and wanting others to make you feel important. To be on top does not make you better than everyone else, nor does it grant you leeway to treat them as lesser. To go higher and higher for the sake of it at the expense of others is not only cruel and selfish, but pointless.

'Gertrude McFuzz', about vanity, jealousy, and also dissatisfaction and the heavy (literally) ego. Be happy with who you are, what you have, and what you can do, basically. Addiction (drugs?) is bad, too. Extra point for the female protagonist, a rarity in a Dr. Seuss story, as well.

And 'The Big Brag', about the pointlessness of ego and thinking that anyone is better than anyone else, and how any arrogant, simple, boisterous animal of a fool can be outwitted by the smallest and unlikeliest of people.

'Yertle the Turtle' is close to perfection, and the further implications of the other two stories are rather mixed, but overall they are entertaining, fitfully clever, and unforgettable. The rhymes, as is expected by Dr. Seuss, are a joy. More children need to absorb these life lessons. But especially those of 'Yertle the Turtle'. It very much holds up (pun unintended), sadly.


“And the turtles, of course...all the turtles are free,
as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.”


Pride be before the fall.

Final Score: 4/5