I discovered the joy of Dr Seuss’s children’s books (poetry, if you would prefer to classify in that genre) quite late in life. They bring joy, and I think that’s quite important aspect to a book too. I loved Green Eggs and Ham, and this book was no different.
The book Yertle the Turtle & Other Stories has three “poetic stories”. The title story features the turtle Yertle and his unlimited ambitions, the second features a bird Gertrude and her dissatisfaction with her body, and the third shows a rabbit and a bear arguing. Each story has its own lessons too.
Lots to absorb from the novel…
The title story shows a turtle by the name of Yertle, who is king of the pond and the turtles as well. But he wants more, and he can’t stand anyone higher than him, so a competition happens. The story shows the ill effects of power and ambition well. The story about Gertrude illustrates a point that we are different, and we should first be happy with who we are.
A masterclass in rhyme…
I loved how Seuss rhymes in each of the poems. While poetry may not necessarily be about rhyming words, in this case, it helps with the flow of the piece very well. I liked it a lot. These are supposed to be children’s books, so the language being simple helps. I feel children reading these out loud might have a lot of fun, because I certainly did. They say there is really no age limit to read a children’s book, so would recommend this to readers who would like to try Seuss’s works!
This is the 10th year of the #AtoZChallenge and my tenth year attempting it. My theme this year is Books – Read and Loved. As evident by the theme, I am going to write on books I’ve read and loved.
Liked this? Read some of my earlier posts written about Books.
Vinay Leo R.
29. 04. 2019
Vinay Leo R.
Poetry & writing are to me, a breath of fresh air in a life that is sometimes covered by the smoke of sorrow or self doubt. They also become the sweets I share to celebrate when life offers me a reason to. But most of all, they are to me, my life. For each word I write is a piece of my heart, a thought that just had to find its way into the world.